Yin & Yang
by YoungestMalfoy
Summary: No one ever questioned why Hermione Granger was such a talented witch. No one ever questioned why there was another witch in their year who looked exactly like her. A twist to the plot bunny, "What if Hermione was a pureblood?"
1. Ashes

**A/N: This is the very first Harry Potter fanfiction that I have ever posted online. Please be nice and I would appreciate all your "constructive criticisms". This will be an AU. The story will still revolve around the HP universe but there will be a lot of variations. I just wrote this to satisfy my hunger for this kind of plot.**

There was fire. The magnificent mansion which was previously the envy of every pureblood, halfblood and muggleborn alike looked as if it was descending in to the fiery pits of hell. What was scarier was the fact that while the fire continued to burn, the members of the family who lived there were still trapped inside, unable to find a way to rescue themselves.

Richard Granger, the head of the family of four, had just been able to reunite with his wife, Jean and they were both running out of air to breathe. The two of them were still unable to go to the room where their twin daughters were trapped inside.

"This is cursed fire! My magic isn't able douse its flames!" Richard uttered fearfully as he was forcing his way to his daughters room.

"We need to get to our babies Richard! We have to find a way!" Jean desperately shouted.

A few feet away, they could hear the frightened shrieks from Hermione and Iris Granger. Their parents were aware that there was a very slim chance of survival, but giving up hope was not an option. Through Richard's efforts, he and Jean were now able to get to their twins' room with minutes to spare. The whole room was almost swallowed up by the cursed fire and a part of the ceiling had already collapsed, Hermione was the nearest to them. She was lying on the floor and unconscious with the amount of smoke she inhaled. Richard was able to get to her quickly; he handed her off to Jean and tried to go to where Iris was.

"Daddy!" Iris shrieked, her eyes were wide with panic, tears flowing from her eyes. "Daddy, I'm scared!"

It was only a few feet away but Richard couldn't go through because of the large part of the ceiling which caved in, the only hope was that Iris would be brave enough to go through the small space under the collapsed ceiling which was not yet in flames.

"Calm down Iris." Richard said as calm as possible, he couldn't panic now. It would only scare his daughter more. "I'm here. Daddy's here."

"I don't want to die, Daddy." Iris whispered.

"You won't die, honey. You just need to be a brave little girl and come through this hole where daddy is waiting for you at the end. Okay?" He said. Richard knew that there were only seconds to spare before they could disapparate before the whole mansion was swallowed completely in flames.

Richard spared a glance towards his wife and Hermione. While the younger of the twins was still unconscious, Jean already looked as if she had already accepted the fact that they would die there. He didn't want to give up, he had to persevere. He smiled nervously at his wife, "Everything's going to be okay." Jean just nodded and clutched on to Hermione tighter.

"Daddy I'm going to go through now. Please don't leave me here." Iris said in a small voice.

Richard released a breath of relief, they still had time. There were a few feet of space to crawl through before Iris could reach them, it would only take a few short seconds and they could finally escape.

"Don't worry, Daddy is here. Come here, baby." He urged her; there was already an overwhelming sense of desperation in his voice.

Iris started to crawl through the small space. She was still small so she had a hard time going forward. Richard looked at her and felt so proud; his daughter was very brave. He could see it in her eyes, her resolve to not accept her fate. She still had a lot of fight in her.

Just then, there was another huge crash. The ceiling was about collapse some more and it would bury Iris beneath it. Richard made a desperate move and tried to go into the small space and reached out his hand towards his daughter.

"Quickly Iris! Grab my hand! Now!" He shouted desperately.

Iris was frozen, she was a smart girl, she knew what was about to happen. She could already feel the impending collapse. She finally gazed at her father's face and smiled sadly.

"It's time to go now, Daddy." She whispered to her father.

The ceiling caved in, Richard's eyes widened in horror as his eldest daughter was buried alive under the flaming debris. Before Richard was able to join his daughter under the collapsed ceiling, Jean was able to grab him and immediately disapparate along with both him and Hermione.

They reappeared on a hill which still overlooked their previous home. The mansion was close to burning to the ground. The flames which engulfed it took the forms of various magical beasts and that was when they were sure that it was Fiendfyre which took everything that they had, including the life of one of their daughters. Richard fell on his knees, he was clearly in shock. Jean was already crying as she desperately held on to their surviving daughter.

"Our baby – " Richard whispered breathlessly, he buried his face into his hands and sobbed furiously.

Jean approached Richard and wrapped an arm around him. She cried with him but she didn't speak. She had no words to say because no amount of words could express the pain she felt right then and there.

Moments passed and Richard knew that they couldn't stay there longer. Whoever started that fire in their mansion would still likely be in the area. He stood up taking his wife with him.

"We need to go." Said Richard in a steady voice.

"Go where?" Jean asked, she was already so tired.

"The magical family of Grangers are now dead. We all should have died in the fire, Jean."

"We already did, Richard. We already did."

Richard took his wife's hands in his, and together with what's left of his family, he disapparated for the very last time.

#HP#

The clinic was closed for the day; Richard and Jean Granger were both reading the papers inside their living room. Little Hermione Granger sat on the floor as she was reading a thick book about Greek mythology. Richard smirked; his daughter was so engrossed in reading that book he bought for her that he could swear that she wasn't even blinking. He looked at Jean and smiled, it seemed as if their daughter took after her mum's addiction to books.

The hour passed by quietly until there was a pecking sound on the window. Richard went still; he knew that sound very well. He looked at the window were the sound was coming from; he saw a large brown barn owl carrying a letter.

Jean quickly went to him and dug her hands into his shoulder. "What is that thing doing here? We covered our tracks perfectly." Jean made sure that Hermione couldn't hear them, but their daughter's attention was already caught by the owl. She was just looking at it curiously.

Richard narrowed her eyes, "We have no choice, Jean. Once it's in the books in Hogwarts, it's already final."

"But-"

Richard stood up and opened the window; the owl invited himself in and handed the letter over to Richard. The owl flew away when Richard was already opening the letter. There were two parchments in it, one was the usual letter informing that the child was accepted into Hogwarts and the other note was a personal message from the Headmaster himself.

 _Dear Mr and Mrs Granger,_

 _I would like to inform you that your daughter, Hermione Granger, has qualified to attend our school for special children called Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Considering the fact that you may be unfamiliar with our institution, I have taken the liberty to send you one of the school's trusted professors in order to answer your questions._

 _She will be there in precisely 10 minutes after you finish reading this letter. I hope to see your very talented daughter in our halls soon. She will be a fine addition to the talents found in Hogwarts._

 _Albus Dumbledore_

 _Headmaster_

Richard folded the letter and placed it on to the desk, he looked at Hermione and he was pleased to see that she was back to reading her book. Jean stood up and wrapped her arms around his torso and placed her head on his chest.

"What did it say?" Jean asked worriedly.

"Well, Mione's about to go to Hogwarts." Richard answered, looking a bit apprehensive. "and-"

"And what?"

"They think we're muggles."

 **A/N: Was it bad? Was it good? Please leave a review to let me know if I should continue posting or not. Thanks in advance.**


	2. Chapter 1: Two Faced

A/N: Thanks for the very first review and favourite! It inspired me to post another chapter of Yin and Yang.

Hermione Granger was awed by everything she saw from the moment Professor Mcgonagall demonstrated how she transfigured into a cat up to the moment she entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts for the sorting of the first years. Despite the rudeness of a little blonde boy, the absent mindedness of a chubby boy with a weird surname and the unlikely encounter with the boy who had a thunderbolt shaped scar, her initial impressions on the magical world were still wonderful.

The first years were all huddled together at the front waiting for the ceremony to begin. The Headmaster sat back down after he finished his speech, a speech which slightly worried Hermione because of the warning of an impending death if anyone tried to enter the Forbidden Forest. She made a mental note of the places she wouldn't go to and the forest was top on her list.

The sorting finally began, Professor Mcgonagall started calling out names of the first years and asked them to sit on the stool where she put a weird little pointy hat on their heads. Hermione knew that the hat was called the Sorting Hat. How quaint, she thought. She knew a lot of facts about Hogwarts after reading "Hogwarts: A History" from cover to cover, over and over again.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" Neville Longbottom asked nervously as they waited for their turn. A girl called Hannah Abbott had just been sorted into Hufflepuff.

"I don't know. But I do hope I get into Ravenclaw." Hermione replied excitedly.

Ravenclaw was known for having the best and the brightest students in Hogwarts. Being an avid reader, Hermione thought that she would fit in perfectly well in that house. Neville was finally called and Hermione was surprised when the boy was sorted into Gryffindor, the house of the brave. Hermione shrugged; maybe the boy would surprise her in the future.

"Hermione Granger." Professor Mcgonagall called.

Hermione confidently walked to the front and sat dutifully on the stool. Mcgonagall placed the sorting hat on to her head; it wasn't even on for a few seconds when the hat shouted "Gryffindor!"

Hermione was dazed for a little while; she looked at Professor Mcgonagall and was surprised to see that she was smiling at her. "Go to your housemates, Ms. Granger."

She finally stood up and proceeded to Gryffindor table and sat beside Neville. The older Gryffindors congratulated and welcomed her into the house. Hermione smiled, everyone seemed so be so nice to her, and she thought that maybe being sorted into Gryffindor wouldn't be such a bad thing.

The sorting continued, a few more first years were sorted into Gryffindor. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley sat in front of her; the other Gryffindors were still congratulating the Potter boy. Hermione noticed that Harry was a bit overwhelmed with all the attention he was getting; she had already read about his role in the destruction of a very evil wizard who people always refer to as 'You-know-who or He-who-must-not-be-named. Given the fact that Hermione didn't grow up in the wizarding world, she had no idea how much of a big deal it was to be in the presence of the boy who lived.

Three first years were yet to be sorted, she didn't pay attention that much anymore after the obnoxious blonde boy who made fun of her at the train for having non-magical parents was sorted in Slytherin. Hermione grimaced; it figures that 'Draco Malfoy' would be sorted into house known for its prejudice and discrimination against the non-magical folk.

Hermione's attention was now focused on the ceiling, which was bewitched to show the weather outside of the castle when Neville called for her attention.

"Hey Hermione, that other first year looks a lot like you. Do you know her?" asked Neville, he pointed at the girl in question and what Hermione saw shocked her.

She and the girl shared the very same face; the only difference was that, while Hermione sported an unruly head of curly brown hair, the other girl had dark and silky locks which ended up just inches above her shoulders. She also had a mole at the right side of her cheek, just under her eye. She looked as if she was bored, even the talking hat didn't seem to impress her. She also had an air of aristocracy about her, similar to that of Draco Malfoy.

"Umm, Neville?" Hermione asked. "Is it normal in the magical world to have someone who looks exactly the same as you?"

Neville just shook his head; they were both waiting for Professor Mcgonagall to call out her name. While they waited, the mysterious girl who could readily pass as Hermione's twin sister, noticed their stares. She stared at Hermione with a blank expression on her face. Hermione didn't know why, but for some unknown reason, she felt a sense of familiarity towards the other girl. She was about to smile at her when the other girl's stare became fierce.

"What's her problem?" whispered Neville.

Hermione just shook her head, she didn't know why, but that glare she received from her look alike wasn't just an expression of annoyance, she looked as if she hated Hermione with all her being. The girl was the last one to be sorted; even Mcgonagall looked a bit nervous when she looked at the girl.

"And finally, Syrine Lestrange." Called Professor Mcgonagall.

Everyone fell quiet, those who were previously inattentive to the sorting ceremony where now all focused on the last first year to be sorted. Despite the attention, Syrine looked unfazed, she looked rather pleased. She sat gracefully on the stool, and even before the sorting hat was completely placed on to her head, it had shouted "Slytherin!"

The Slytherin erupted in cheers, clearly celebrating the fact that another snake was sorted in. Hermione continued to observe Syrine as she made her way to the Slytherin table beside Malfoy. The blonde boy looked ecstatic; it seemed as if he and Syrine were close friends even before Hogwarts.

The Headmaster finally signalled for the feast to begin. Hermione decided to stop staring at Syrine and returned to face the table. She then became aware of the shaking mess that was now Neville Longbottom. Harry Potter also became aware of Neville's actions and it prompted him to ask if the boy was okay.

Neville stared straight into the eyes of Harry Potter, "Lestrange." He whispered fearfully. "Deatheaters."

Not knowing what Neville meant, Hermione and Harry just looked confused. It was Ron Weasley who broke the tension.

"Snap out of it, Neville." Ron said, "Here, drink this pumpkin juice, it would make you feel better." Ron handed Neville a cup and he took it from him carefully and had a sip.

"Thanks." Said Neville, although he stopped shaking he still looked a bit pale like he saw a ghost.

Harry turned to Ron and asked, "What are Deatheaters?"

"Well, it's a long story mate. I'll tell you after the feast, food is waiting." Ron replied excitedly.

Harry looked a bit annoyed, but at that moment, his stomach growled loudly. There was a blush of pink on his cheeks; he then remembered that it had been hours since he had a proper meal. The candy he ate on the train wasn't considered as a proper meal.

"Well, as long as you don't forget to tell us." Said Harry, and he finally started to eat as well.

Although Hermione was curious, he took the cue from Harry and started to eat as well. She also felt relieved when Neville finally calmed down and started eating too.


	3. Chapter 2: Failed Expectations

**A/N: Please leave a review. Pretty pretty please. If I get at least 10 reviews before the week ends, I'll be posting another 3 chapters by Monday. Thank you!**

The first weeks of school weren't working out like how Hermione imagined it would be. Despite knowing majority of what was being taught in class, she was having a hard time improving her social circle. Although she and Neville were friends, it seemed as if Neville was actually the only one willing to put up with her. Her status as the know-it-all swot wasn't very popular with her fellow first years. She was slowly turning into the butt of jokes among her peers.

It was dinner time; she hid herself at one of the alcoves near the dungeons instead of going to the Great Hall. She didn't feel like seeing the ginger's face especially after Ron made fun of her for being smart. Hermione didn't understand why Ron would be irritated at her for trying to help him cast the levitation charm at class that morning. She felt worse when she overheard Ron complaining to Harry about her.

"Boys." She huffed.

Hermione's thoughts strayed towards her would be twin Syrine. Despite being complete lookalikes, Syrine seemed as if she was the complete opposite of herself. While Hermione was overwhelming her professors with her enthusiastic efforts at answering each and every question, Syrine did her best to get as little attention as possible. And while Hermione only managed to make one friend in Hogwarts, Syrine seemed like she was quite popular judging by the amount of Slytherins accompanying her every day. If Hermione was honest with herself, she was a bit envious of Syrine.

Hermione heard footsteps coming towards her; she waited for who it was. She was surprised to see Syrine's unsmiling face directed towards her.

"Missing dinner? What are you doing here, swot?" Syrine said, while she stood there haughtily with her hands on her hips.

Hermione was taken aback with the amount of rudeness directed towards her. Syrine had never been rude to her before, she didn't even make an effort to acknowledge her before. Not wanting to back down, Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at the Slytherin.

Syrine smirked, "No answer for me then? Cat got your tongue?"

"I'm not hungry." Hermione simply answered. She hoped Syrine would leave her alone; it was obvious that Syrine wasn't there for a friendly visit.

"You're not a very good liar, Granger." Said Syrine. "I'll take a guess then. You have no friends in Hogwarts. Right now, while everybody is busy stuffing themselves with food, you're here, avoiding people because of the fact that majority of the Gryffindor firsties don't like you. It seems as if mud-muggleborns have deplorable social skills."

Syrine's words struck at Hermione's nerve. "I am not."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that." Syrine started walking away, Hermione was irritated at how Syrine made fun of her current predicament.

"You're wrong." Said Hermione. Despite not being the type of person who didn't attract a lot of friends, Hermione didn't like it when people insulted her. "I have friends!"

Syrine stopped walking and spared Hermione another glance, "Fatbottom doesn't count. Face it, people like you don't belong here, Granger. Even if you had magic-" she smirked, "it doesn't make you belong with us. Keep that in mind." She didn't wait for any reply; she continued to walk away, leaving Hermione close to tears.

Hermione snapped. She knew that she was having a hard time fitting in, she was just hoping that things would change in the coming days if she tried harder to befriend people. Even in the muggle world, Hermione had a difficult time making friends. She was too different. It didn't help that a lot of weird stuff happened when she became too excited. It was only during Professor Mcgonagall's visit to the Granger home when she found out that it was accidental magic.

Finding out she had magic was the only thing which made every lonely experience worth it. Her admission to Hogwarts was for her, the start of a new and wonderful time with people who were like her. Syrine's words made it evident that Hermione didn't fit in anywhere. No matter how much she loved reading, she knew that it would be lonely without any friends.

Before the tears started to fall, Hermione ran towards the girls' bathroom in the dungeons to hide. She didn't want any more Slytherins to poke fun at her inability to be likeable.

#HP#

A few hours after her encounter with Syrine, Hermione found herself in an odd situation inside the Gryffindor common room. It was just a while back when she almost died due to a troll which had wondered into the Hogwarts bathroom that she used as a hideout. It was also just a while back when Harry Potter and surprisingly, Ron Weasley rescued her from the troll, which was why they were all still alive at present.

"I'm sorry about hurting your feelings, Hermione." Ron apologized to her, looking very sincere. "Harry told me that I should have thanked you for helping me at Charms instead of getting annoyed. I felt bad when Harry told me that I was probably the reason as to why you hid yourself in the girls' bathroom."

"Umm, it's okay." Hermione blushed; she had no reason to tell them why she was really crying in the bathroom. "I'm sorry too. I guess the way I offered my help made you feel a bit stupid."

Ron fidgeted, "Well, it did. I'm not very good at doing spells yet, you see. But I'm still sorry."

"Apology accepted, Ron." Hermione told him joyfully. Despite the foul mood brought about by Syrine's words, Hermione felt that things were looking up by now. "Thank you. I'm really glad you and Harry came to find me."

Ron finally smiled, "I'm just glad no one got injured."

"Not exactly, the troll is still probably out cold." said Harry, cheerfully.

The three of them laughed. It seemed that going through a life or death situation really inspired people to loosen up a bit and just laugh it off.

"How can we make it up to you, Hermione?" Harry asked.

Hermione just stared for a while, "If it's not too much to ask-" She hesitated.

"Yes? What is it?" Ron eagerly urged her to continue.

"Would it be okay if we became friends?"

The two boys grinned. Their only answer was to envelop Hermione in a three way hug and she couldn't be any happier.

 **Please R &R**


	4. Chapter 3: Clues

**A/N: Shout out to ponystories and to the wonderful people who started following Yin and Yang. I do hope I don't disappoint you. To explain a bit, I'll be writing just a few paragraphs which are canon in the story but with an added twist.**

Life at Hogwarts became much better when she started being friends with Ron and Harry. Some people stopped making fun of her, some even finally approached her to ask for tips on how to study better, and some were even very friendly to her. Over all, Hermione finally felt as if she was fulfilling the expectations she had set upon herself before the start of the term. She was finally happy.

Hermione was at the library, finishing an essay on Transfiguration, Ron and Harry were both at the common room playing wizard's chess. She didn't know why, but she found that the wizard version of chess was moderately barbaric and she had no intention spending her day watching the chess pieces destroy each other.

The essay was finally done when Hermione's thoughts drifted to Syrine. After asking Neville as to why he was so scared after hearing the surname Lestrange, she found out that Syrine was the only daughter of Rodolphus and Bellatix Lestrange. The Lestranges were notably the most vile of You-know-who's Deatheaters. They tortured and murdered a lot of people during the first wizarding war and ended up in the prison Azkaban for their crimes.

It made sense that a lot of people from the other houses were wary of Syrine; but despite her background, Hermione didn't think that she was evil. Definitely rude, but not evil. After the exchange of words between the two of them on the night she became friends with Harry and Ron, Syrine never talked to her again. She never even spared Hermione another glance. Hermione wished that she could say the same for Malfoy. The brat made it his mission to annoy their little group.

Hermione stood up, returned the books she borrowed to the shelf and made her way out of the library. She was still a little distracted as she kept on thinking about Syrine, she didn't want to admit it, but she was having a hard time to just ignore her. It was then that she found herself flat on her arse, after bumping into someone else in the hall.

"Oye! Watch it." A feminine voice told her. Hermione knew that voice too well.

Syrine was also on the floor after bumping into Hermione. She looked very irritated; she quickly stood up and dusted herself. She was quickly rushing to go somewhere because she didn't spare Hermione another word.

"Lestrange." Hermione called while standing up.

Syrine stopped for a while, "What is it, swot?" She still looked as if she was annoyed.

"I definitely belong here, you know. You were wrong." Hermione finally told her.

There was an amused expression on Syrine's face, she chuckled and then said, "Being friends with scarhead and weasel made you a bit arrogant, I see. You'll see soon enough why you definitely don't belong here."

And like on the night when they first had a talk, Syrine never waited for Hermione to answer. Despite the harshness of Syrine's words, Hermione didn't feel hurt anymore. After she knew a little about Syrine's past, she couldn't blame the other girl for being mean. Children who grew up without parents have it hard. She was just thankful that she was lucky enough to have wonderful parents.

#HP#

The end of the term was very eventful for the now dubbed Golden Trio of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Hermione have just survived a dangerous altercation involving a possessed Professor Quirell, who was quite desperate to get the Philosopher's stone.

Of the three of them, Harry was the one who had the most injuries and so he had to stay at the infirmary longer. Hermione was one her way to visit Harry when she ran into Syrine. Hermione thought it would be best to ignore her, but Syrine had other plans.

"You've been making a lot of foolish decisions lately, swot." Syrine told her coldly.

Hermione raised one of her brows, "I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about."

"The only reason you're able to walk in these halls right now is sheer luck. Next time, you won't be so lucky." Syrine warned her.

Hermione scoffed, "So are you threatening me now? What is your problem, Lestrange?!"

Syrine chuckled. "Threat? If I were you, I'd take this as a warning. Stay away from Potter."

"Harry is my friend." Hermione was already visibly irritated. She didn't understand why Syrine was bothering her this much.

"Potter is dangerous."

Hermione stared at her for a bit, and chuckled. "You must really like me in your own twisted sort of way. Thanks for the warning, I'm sure to do the opposite of what you tell me."

And with that, Hermione was now the one who had the last word, and it felt great. With the handful of times that Syrine had left her hanging, it was satisfying to feel like she won one of their occasional verbal spats.

#HP#

Madam Pomfrey had allowed both Ron and Hermione to spend time with Harry while he was still recovering. They were busy eating candy sent by many well-wishers.

"Hey, Hermione." Ron said after he finished eating his chocolate frog.

Hermione looked at Ron and gave him her full attention.

"I was wondering if you were in any way related to an old line of Purebloods. You see, there's this family called Grangers back then, and I thought that you'd like to know about them. You might just find that you're not really muggleborn." Ron told her with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What's wrong with being a muggleborn? My mum was one." Harry said defensively.

"I didn't mean it that way, mate. They just share the same surname so I was curious." Ron explained.

Hermione giggled, "My parents are both dentists, Ron. My grandparents are also muggles, and you can trace it back to several generations. I'm the only witch in our family."

"Oh, I see." Ron said as he opened another pack of chocolate frogs. "Then you must be really talented then."

"Granger must really be a common surname here then." Harry commented as he was picking on what Bertie Botts bean he would eat.

"Not really. They're one of the oldest lines of Purebloods. Even older than the Malfoys, they were a very secretive family. No one has the records of its members. " Ron explained.

"Where are they now?" asked Hermione, she was starting to get very curious.

"Mum said that they all died because of Deatheaters. That's all I know." Ron replied.

Hermione was silent for a little while; although she was a hundred percent sure that she was muggleborn, her curiosity was piqued with the story Ron just told them. She decided that she would use her remaining days before school break on researching about the Grangers.

 **A/N: Please leave a review. I'd love to know what you think about my story!**


	5. Chapter 4: Digging Deeper

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, the new follows and the favourites again! You all inspire me to try my best in writing this story. I surely hope that I don't disappoint you.**

Hermione was getting frustrated. After spending days in the Hogwarts library, she still didn't find out anything new about the Grangers of the wizarding world. It almost seemed as if they didn't exist at all. She was hoping that she would at least find a book mentioning them, but even the books about pureblood families didn't list them. She almost doubted the information from Ron.

Without any progress on her research, Hermione arrived at her home in a somewhat foul mood. Richard and Jean Granger shared worried looks at each other.

"What's wrong, dear?" Jean asked, as she placed an arm around Hermione's shoulder. "Why are you upset?"

Hermione stared at her parents for a while, "I'm sorry. I'm not really upset, mum."

"Then what's wrong? We haven't seen you in a while, and you don't look happy to see us at all." Richard pouted.

Hermione then hugged her father, "But I am happy! I'm just –"

"Just what, dear?" Jean prodded.

"Remember how I get when I really want to know about something but I can't get enough information on it?" asked Hermione.

"You get extremely preoccupied." Richard and Jean answered in unison.

There was a twinkle in Hermione's eyes, "I love you both so much! You know me so well."

Richard chuckled, "You just need to read more. We'll talk at dinner. You should change your clothes first."

Hermione nodded and ran up to her room, Richard and Jean proceeded to the kitchen to start preparing for dinner.

#HP#

The Grangers were catching up over dinner. Hermione was enthusiastically describing Hogwarts and was relaying to her parents a few stories about the friends she made there. Despite the number of stories she had, she didn't know why she wasn't telling her parents about her 'twin'.

"Before I forget dear, what were you so preoccupied about a while ago?" Jean asked as she finished chewing her food.

Hermione put down her spoon and fork, "Well, you see, Ron told me that there was also a family of wizards who shared the same surname as ours, and he asked me if I was really sure that I was really a muggleborn."

There was an awkward silence which followed Hermione's answer. She noticed that Richard and Jean looked at each other with a weird expression on their faces. It looked like a mix between fear and surprise.

"Mum? Dad? What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

Richard cleared his throat and smiled at Hermione. She was quite sure that the smile on her father's face was the one he used when he was hiding something.

"It's nothing, dear. I was just surprised that there were also Grangers in the other world." Said Richard.

"I wouldn't bother myself if I were you, Mione." Jean told her daughter seriously. "I can tell you now that we don't have any relatives who are wizards or witches."

Hermione was feeling odd, she couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew that her parents' reaction was out of the ordinary.

"Oh, okay." Hermione replied meekly. "That's what I told Ron anyway, but I couldn't help but be curious. I mean...my magic must have come from somewhere, right?"

Jean suddenly dropped her utensils on the table, "I'm sorry. I think I just lost my appetite." She stood up and left the kitchen. After a few moments, Hermione and Richard heard the door of her parents' room closing with a bang.

"Did I say something wrong?" Hermione worriedly asked her father.

"No dear. I think your mother is just tired. Finish your meal now, Mione." Richard answered her gently.

"I-"

"Your mom will be fine. But to tell you the truth, I think you have magic because you're special. You are the daughter of Richard and Jean Granger, and that..." Richard paused. "Automatically makes you a cut above the rest. The magic was just a little added bonus."

Hermione grinned, "You always know what to say, Daddy."

"That's why I'm the dad."

The father and daughter pair then spent the rest of dinner making each other laugh. Talks about the magical Granger family were forgotten, at least for a little while.

#HP#

It was hot, so hot that Hermione felt as if even her bones would melt. Everything was burning around her, she almost felt like she was in hell. She knew it wasn't real, she had just fallen asleep on her own bed a while ago, she knew that it was just a dream. A dream that felt all too real.

Hermione then heard shrieks behind her; she turned around and saw two very frightened girls. Hermione looked closer and saw that they were twins. They were hugging each other tightly, afraid that if one of them let go, they would get burned by the flames which were quickly consuming everything around them.

"I'm scared, Iris." one of the twins said to the other as she continued to cry.

The twin called Iris patted the other's head and whispered soothingly, "Daddy's going to get us, pet. Don't worry." Hermione could clearly see that Iris was just putting on a brave face.

Hermione didn't know why, but her chest was feeling tight. She had no idea why she was having such a bad dream.

There was a creak on the roof, Hermione looked up and saw that the roof was almost about to collapse. She looked at the twins and she had an undeniable urge to go and save them. She noticed that the twin called Iris was aware of the impending doom, Iris looked up at the roof and Hermione could clearly see despair on her face.

There was a loud crash and the roof started to fall. Without thinking, Hermione quickly shot off towards the girls so that she could try to save them. There was a loud screech, Hermione never felt that scared ever before in her life. As the roof fell on top of all three of them, Hermione couldn't help but scream.

Hermione jolted awake. Her back was soaked with cold sweat and her heart was hammering loudly inside her chest. She didn't know why she was so sure, but something told her that what she saw wasn't just an ordinary dream, especially since the twins she saw looked exactly the same as Hermione looked when she was a child.


	6. Chapter 5: Second Year

**A/N: I had to reupload this chapter because of a few typos which bothered me. Thank you again for the support, I'll try my best to write as quickly as I can to satisfy you. To those who reviewed, I send you my love.**

The Golden Trio's second year at Hogwarts was definitely more eventful than their first. A series of incidents, where a few students and creatures became petrified, were making the student body uneasy. What was worse was that, the culprit introduced himself as the Heir of Slytherin, and everyone suspected that it might be Harry after everyone found out that he could speak parseltongue, a skill known to be linked closely to dark wizards.

Being the smart girl that she was, Hermione made it her goal to find out what was causing the petrification of the students. She knew well enough that it wouldn't be a spell that caused it. She thought that the best way to figure out what was causing it would be to hole her self up in the library and research each and every book which might hold an answer.

It was near curfew and Hermione finally decided to call it a day and go back to the Gryffindor tower. She passed by one of the poorly lit halls at Hogwarts. She heard voices near the corner and she decided to find out who were the ones out so late.

"Are you sure you're not the heir of Slytherin, Draco?" Syrine asked him.

Hermione noticed that the two were unaware of her presence; she decided to eavesdrop a bit more. She just might find out who the heir actually was.

Draco shook his head, "I would tell you if it was me, Sy. You know I would."

Syrine sighed, "Do you think that it's _his_ doing? There were similar events like this when he was still in Hogwarts."

"I actually think it's Potter."

Syrine snorted, "Obsessed much? What is with you and your obsession with that boy?"

"He is the most likely candidate. And it can't possibly be _him..._ He's not here, Sy. He is definitely not here." Draco said seriously.

"Yet."

Hermione didn't have the best of luck, and it didn't help her when she let out an uncontrolled sneeze. The two Slytherins were suddenly aware of the lone Gryffindor who was hiding in the corner. The two quickly came over to Hermione, she was temporarily at a loss on what she was supposed to do.

"Nosy swot. Is eavesdropping your new pastime now?" Draco told her looking irritated.

Hermione stood up at her full height and tried to lie her way out of the sticky situation she was in, "How dare you accuse me, I was just tying my shoe!"

"You're a very bad liar, Granger." Syrine said, but instead of being angry, there was an amused expression on her face. "Go back to your common room, swot. It's getting late."

Hermione huffed, "You're not the boss of me, Lestrange."

"Why you-" Draco started.

"Hush, Drake. Let's go back to the dungeons. You should do that too, Granger. This isn't the time to be loitering around in the castle. You don't want to get petrified too, do you? Syrine calmly said.

"I'm not the only one at risk here, anyone can get attacked." Hermione told Syrine.

"Of the three of us, you're the only muggleborn." Syrine smirked.

Draco chuckled, "The heir only targets mudbloods."

It was sudden but Draco suddenly yelped in pain as Syrine stomped on Draco's foot.

"Mud-what?" Hermione asked, it was an unfamiliar term to her.

"Let's go, Drake. The air around here is starting to smell." Syrine said as she pulled on Draco, they quickly proceeded towards the direction of the Slytherin dungeons.

Hermione shrugged, she thought that Syrine and Draco were very weird sometimes. She felt a bit down, her attempts at eavesdropping only lead to more questions instead of answers.

Hermione continued her journey towards the tower and passed by a hall which seemed to be flooded. The area had a lot of puddles and she thought that the fire of the torches on the wall reflected beautifully against it. She stopped for a while on one of the larger puddles and stared at her reflection; little did she know that there was already something lurking behind her.

#HP#

The unpetrified members of the golden trio visited the infirmary every day. It was hard for them to accept that they couldn't do anything to help their best friend. Although Madam Pomfrey and Professor Sprout promised that it would be temporary, they still couldn't help but fell a bit guilty since they knew that Hermione was staying out late because she was out helping Harry solve the mystery causing the petrification of the muggleborns.

On the 5th night of Hermione's petrification, Harry decided to use his invisible cloak and stay with Hermione at the infirmary, even if it was against the school rules. He didn't tell Ron, but Harry was a bit more worried for Hermione than Ron because he had developed a strong sense of admiration towards Hermione. He quickly made his way to where Hermione was and was surprised to see that someone was also there. It was Syrine.

Harry was about to tackle the slytherin when he noticed the gloomy expression on Syrine's face.

"You weren't supposed to be a victim, pet." Syrine whispered to Hermione.

Harry decided to observe Syrine before doing anything else. He silently went over to the side of the bed to get a better view.

"Didn't I warn you to stay away from Potter last year? Look at what's happened to you because you wouldn't do as you're told."

Harry felt a pang on his chest. Syrine's words were unpleasant but it was actually the truth, Hermione was in her present situation because she was being such a good friend to him. Syrine never said anything else after that.

Before Syrine left, she took a piece of folded paper from her pocket and slipped it into Hermione's clenched hands. Harry was so confused, especially after the Slytherin placed a kiss on Hermione's forehead. "Everything will be alright, pet."

Harry waited until Syrine had left the infirmary before he took off his cloak. He just stood there for a few quiet moments, trying to process everything that just happened. It was definitely weird that Syrine would risk getting caught at an unbelievably late hour just to visit Hermione. They weren't even friends. He then remembered the piece of paper that the slytherin left with Hermione. He took the paper from Hermione's hands. Harry's eyes widened with what he saw.

" _Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it._ "*

A Basilisk. That would explain everything; now that he knew, he was now much closer to helping out his precious petrified friend. Harry still didn't know why Syrine decided to help them, but he decided to solve that mystery on another day.

*An Excerpt from _Most Macabre Monstrosities_


	7. Chapter 6: Confusion

**A/N: I hope I'm not annoying you with this author's notes. Lol.**

Harry Potter couldn't believe his luck. After Syrine had secretly aided them to figure out what was attacking the students, he also had a chance encounter with Moaning Myrtle, who told him about the secret entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. It also coincided with the fact that Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley, was disappearing quite regularly in a trance towards the chamber.

With Ron's help, he and Harry were able to borrow live roosters from the house elves. They were kept in stock for food preparations for the students. They brought several roosters with them into the chamber after Harry figured out how to open it.

The entire process was so easy that Harry and Ron couldn't believe how the Basilisk was killed. The roosters just acted like they owned the chamber and once the Basilisk heard their crows, it died. The problem was that they found Ginny unconscious in the chamber, while clutching a weird looking book with blank pages.

"What do you reckon that is?" Ron asked while he was poking at the book which he already took from Ginny.

"I don't know, but it's giving me a bad feeling." Harry replied. "Let's leave that book here. We should take Ginny to the infirmary so that Madam Pomfrey can go have a look at her."

Ron nodded; he picked Ginny up and slowly walked to the exit. "I'll take Ginny to Madam Pomfrey. I think you should go to Professor Dumbledore and tell him what happened here."

"Yeah. Good Idea." said Harry, looking at the dead Basilisk one last time.

Harry and Ron left the Chamber of Secrets with Ginny to wrap up the events which had just occurred. When the coast was clear, two slytherins then arrived. Syrine and Draco went to the area where the dead Basilisk was in.

"Guard the entrance, Drake. Tell me if you hear someone coming." Syrine instructed Draco.

Draco nodded and positioned himself near the entrance of the chamber. Syrine then approached the dead Basilisk and observed it for a while.

"I'll be taking your fangs, friend." Syrine told the dead snake. She took out a small dagger and slowly carved out the fangs of the Basilisk. Once she had secured the fangs, she then went to the blank book which Ron and Harry had left on the floor and picked it up.

"There you are. You've caused so much trouble for me this year." Syrine told the book. "You won't be causing anymore trouble once I'm through with you."

Syrine sighed. The events happening all year round gave her constant headaches, especially after her favourite little muggleborn had also fallen victim to the big bad snake. She finally felt relieved; she now had the opportunity to enjoy the rest of the year without worrying about anything else. She just hoped that the Potter boy wouldn't get himself into anymore trouble, because she knew very well that wherever Potter goes, Granger will follow.

Draco peeked inside the chamber. "You done, Sy? The Headmaster and scarhead might come soon."

Syrine nodded, "Thanks for coming with me, Drake."

The blonde boy smiled, "Anything for you."

Syrine chuckled and approached Draco; she linked one of her arms around his elbow. "You had no choice anyway. You had to since this was Lu's fault in the first place."

"Don't call my father Lu." Draco grimaced. "It's giving me the goosebumps."

The two slytherins looked at each other silently for a moment and then laughed. They then went on their merry way back to the Slytherin dungeons.

When Headmaster Dumbledore and Harry came back to the site later, they were confused as to why the Basilisk's fangs had disappeared. There weren't any traces that another person had been there after Harry and Ron left. While Albus was busy staring at the dead and fangless Basilisk in the room, Harry was more worried of the fact that the blank book he left on the floor was missing; but he wasn't going to tell that to the Headmaster anyway.

#HP#

It had been weeks since the victims of the Basilisk attack recovered from their petrification. Everything went back to normal as if there wasn't an actual giant snake terrorizing the students of Hogwarts before. Although Hermione was very thankful that the problem was finished, she was very curious as to why Harry was being very vague on how he was able to find out about the Basilisk. It was as if Harry was keeping a secret, and he wasn't doing a very good job of pretending that there was nothing to hide.

Hermione was getting frustrated, she had already asked Ron about how Harry had figured everything out, but he only knew about how Harry found out the location of the Chamber of Secrets. Ron had no idea on how Harry was so sure that it was a Basilisk. Ron's answer only made Hermione more curious about Harry's secret.

It was after Harry's quidditch practice when Hermione had finally cornered him in one of the castle's empty classrooms. Despite the heavy atmosphere, Harry was still trying to act as if he wasn't hiding something.

"I don't understand why you're not telling me the truth on how you found out about the Basilisk!" Hermione ranted.

"Because there's nothing to tell, I just saw it in a book and I figured it out." Harry explained, there was no way that he was going to tell Hermione that it was Syrine who gave them the answer. He was pretty sure that even Syrine didn't want Hermione to know that it was because of her that everything turned out well.

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

Hermione huffed, "The corner of your lip twitches when you lie."

Harry sighed, "I don't know what you really want to hear from me, Hermione."

Hermione's glare softened, "I'm sorry, Harry. I get way too intense when I think people are hiding stuff from me.

Harry smiled, "It's okay. Apology accepted. Let's go back to the tower, I'm really tired now."

Hermione nodded and the two slowly travelled towards the tower, they engaged in small talk as they went on their way.

"Hermione, I was just wondering..." Harry started.

"Yes? What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Are you sure that you're not related to Lestrange?"

Hermione stopped walking and stared at Harry, this prompted Harry to stop walking as well.

"Why? That's a pretty weird question." said Hermione.

Harry swallowed and felt a lump in his throat, "I just – I mean, you two look so much alike. It's like Fred and George, you could easily pass as twins."

Hermione's eyes narrowed a bit, "If that's your reason then you should have asked me that back in our first year."

Harry laughed nervously, "I just didn't think about it that much before."

"What changed?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Harry was confused.

"What made you think that there was any chance that she and I could be related? Something must have happened." Hermione stated.

"Nothing –"

It may have been a coincidence, but at that very exact second, Syrine happened to pass by the duo while being accompanied by Draco Malfoy.

"Well, well, well. I have to say scarhead and swot; this isn't the right place for a lover's quarrel." Syrine said snidely.

Harry felt relieved; he was saved from being pressured by Hermione to answer her questions. Though Harry wasn't as smart as Hermione in school, he knew for a fact that there was some kind of mystery he has yet to grasp which revolved around Hemrione and Syrine. Harry thought that it would be best if he found out more about their relationship before he told Hermione about his suspicions.

"You really have the worst of timings, Lestrange. Leave now, I'm talking with Harry." Hermione told Syrine.

"The last time I checked, Hogwarts still doesn't belong to you. You have no right to tell me to leave." Syrine answered back.

Hermione snorted, "Come on, Harry. Let's go back to the tower."

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him away. At the tower, Harry was relieved that Hermione stopped bugging him about the Basilisk. She was too preoccupied with ranting about Syrine that she completely forgot about Harry's previous question. Thank Merlin.

 **A/N: Just a few chapters more till the plot thickens. Please do leave a review, so that I would know how I can improve this more. Thank you.**


	8. Chapter 7: Memories

It was the last evening before Hermione's second year ended. She decided to turn in early so she wouldn't be too tired when her parents picked her up at the station tomorrow. Before she was able to sleep, she was preoccupied with the recent events that have occurred which usually involved Harry, Ron, herself and Syrine.

Hermione sighed. The time she spent being petrified was not the most pleasant of experiences but she sure saw a lot of weird things while she was in that state. Despite being in a frozen state, she was surprised of the fact that she was still able to remember the things that she had seen and heard while at the infirmary. That was the reason why she knew that Syrine visited her and acted unbelievably unlike herself, and that Harry had snuck in several times to watch over her.

It was a few days after Hermione recovered when she started pestering Harry about how he knew about the Basilisk. Since he was clearly pretending that he saw it in a book, which to Hermione was preposterous because she knew very well that Harry would rather spend time with Fluffy the three headed dog rather than willingly read a book, she was forced to pretend that she didn't know anything tpp. It was quite a blessing that Hermione had acting classes when she was a child, even if she was forced to attend back then.

While Harry continued to pretend that he knew nothing, Hermione tried to analyze Syrine's actions. She ignored Hermione most of the time, taunted her at some; and in times when she thought Hermione was unconscious, she would act as if she cared about her. Hermione didn't have a lot of things to go on right now, but she couldn't help but think that the dream she had about the twins in the fire was an important clue to solving the mystery that was Syrine Lestrange. With the strange slytherin girl still in her thoughts, Hermione finally drifted off into sleep.

Just like the last time she dreamt of the twins and the fire, Hermione found herself again in a similar predicament. She was clearly in a one of the cabins of a train. She saw a little Hermione Granger sleeping, with her head rested on her mother's lap. Richard Granger was sitting on the seat in front of them.

"What do we do with Hermione, dear? She's going to ask what happened to Iris." Jean asked. Hermione was thoughtful, the name Iris was again mentioned in the dream.

Richard was silent; he just looked at the view outside as the train passed by a forest. Nobody talked for a while, Jean kept stroking the younger Hermione's hair as the girl continued to sleep.

"It's actually very simple, Jean. The only problem is that we have to make a decision to make Hermione forget everything." Richard said seriously while still looking outside the window.

"Forget what?" Jean asked.

"Forget the fact that she has loved with magic since she was born." Richard paused. "And to forget the fact that she ever had a sister."

Jean's eyes widened, "You can't actually expect me to allow that, do you?! They're sisters! They've been together since they were in my womb!"

Richard sighed, "Do you remember when Iris had dragon pox and we told Mione that she wasn't allowed to be with her because she might get sick too?"

Jean nodded, "She got depressed. She didn't eat anything and decided to camp out outside her sister's door."

"The knowledge of Iris's death will destroy her. It's already destroyed us; don't let her suffer the same fate, Jean." Richard said mournfully. Just the thought of how his daughter died still made his chest clench painfully.

Jean Granger looked into her husband's eyes and finally nodded. Hermione watched as her father took out his wand, pointed it at her younger self's forehead and whispered " _Obliviate."_

#HP#

The last dream occupied Hermione's each and every thought. She knew it was a dream but she wondered why it felt like it was more like a memory. Due to the strangeness of the dream she had, Hermione started to watch her parents like a hawk at the very moment they saw each other at King's Cross.

Hermione was looking for any signs that her parents were actually magical just like what she saw in the dream. She observed every gesture and analyzed every conversation. Hermione thought that if her parents were really hiding something, they would slip up eventually.

A week passed by without any incidence, Hermione finally stopped spying on her own parents after she realized she was just being foolish. She finally came to a conclusion that both Richard and Jean Granger were ordinary dentists without any magic.

Hermione was browsing through her mother's bookshelf. She picked up a book about botany and sat on the couch to read. Richard was watching football while Jean was busy doing a crossword puzzle. Hermione started to read and lost herself easily with all the information provided in the books. It was on the start of the chapter about various flowers when she encountered a very strange looking bookmark.

Once Hermione was sure that her parents weren't paying her any attention, she grabbed the bookmark and put it in her pocket and proceeded to read about the page where she found it in.

" _The iris earned its name from the ancient Greek Goddess Iris, a messenger to the gods who was thought to use the rainbow as a bridge between heaven and earth. By some accounts, the ancient Greeks believed the rainbow was actually the flowing, multi-colored robes of Iris. Others believed the beautiful multi-colored flowers were also part of her robe or the flowing veil from her dress. Thus, these flowers were named to honor the Rainbow Goddess and bring favor upon the earth._

 _The iris means different things to different people and cultures. Some of its most common meanings are Royalty, Faith, Wisdom, Hope and Valor."*_

Hermione gasped, there it was again, the name which had reappeared again and again in the dreams that she had for the past year. She tried o observe her parents again, she knew that she had stumbled upon a very important clue.

"Look at this, dad. I think we should start planting this in our garden." Hermione told her father, she was trying to gauge their reactions once she mentioned the flower.

"Well, what is it, dear?" Richard asked, as he temporarily moved his attention away from the telly.

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Iris."

It was so quick but Hermione could swear that her father's expression turned extremely sad. She was also quite sure that her mother's breath hitched after she mentioned the name.

Richard cleared his throat, "Sure, why not? It is a very beautiful flower."

There was a long period of silence which followed, Hermione was still waiting for any other reaction when Jean said, "You know dear, if we ever had another daughter... that would have been the name we would have chosen for her."

The room was again silent. Hermione knew that there was a rising tension between the three of them, which was why she decided to say, "That's really quite a coincidence, mum."

Jean looked like she snapped out from a daydream, "What is, dear?"

"I actually had a dream that I had a sister...and her name was also Iris."

*grabbed from  : / / w w w . i r i s- – /

 **A/N: Please do leave a review and tell me your thoughts about the path that this story is taking. I would really appreciate and it would definitely inspire me to write more. Thank you.**


	9. Chapter 8: Nightmares

**A/N: To** **Hazel Abberely** **, thanks for the review . I appreciate the fact that you noticed that my descriptions aren't really that strong. I have a very straightforward personality so I guess it's like that for my writing technique as well. I will try to improve on this, thanks for your comment. As for the love lives of the main character, it'll be mentioned in the future chapters but it won't be the main focus since I tagged this as Adventure/Drama.**

 **Special shout out to ponystories again for always taking time to read my work and to** **DElena is DEstiny** **, iammrsmalfoy, guest and** **Yuls** **for leaving a review! There's now 10 reviews!**

Hermione couldn't tell if her parents were really good actors or if they were really just ordinary muggle dentists. After she mentioned the dream she had to her parents, they actually acted as if they found it fascinating and told her that it was one of their biggest disappointments in life when they couldn't give Hermione any siblings. The bookworm was more convinced that she was just being overly suspicious of her parents when they started planting Irises all over their backyard garden. By the end of the summer break, Hermione was finally convinced that she was just being paranoid.

With all the activities and family trips the Grangers decided to take during the break, Hermione had no opportunity to think about any mysteries or conspiracy theories involving Syrine, the magical Granger family and her parents. She only had time to catch her breath when it was already time to go back to Hogwarts for their 3rd year.

On Platform 9 ¾, Richard and Jean Granger watched their daughter as she happily reunited with the rest of the golden trio. The spouses shared a knowing smirk when they saw Harry blush as Hermione enthusiastically hugged him. It was really during adolescence when kids grew up too fast.

The train finally blew its horn, signalling that all the students should start boarding. Before Hermione went aboard the train, she ran back to her parents and said her goodbyes. She left a kiss on each of her parent's cheek and told them her 'I love yous'. The Grangers shared a good and long warm family hug before Hermione finally joined Harry and Ron inside.

As the train started its journey, Richard and Jean decided to stay at the platform until it disappeared from their sight. Richard gently grabbed Jean's hand and gently kept running his fingers back and forth over her knuckles.

"Do you suppose that Hermione is slowly recovering her memories?" Jean asked.

"Maybe." Richard answered. "The bond between twins can't be broken easily Jean. I think that even if I erased all her memories from that time, a part of her still knows that Iris was in her life."

Jean nodded. "Whenever I see Mione off to Hogwarts, my heart aches when I think about how Iris would have looked like in her very own Hogwarts uniform. I miss her."

There was a distraught look on Richard's face. It almost seemed as if he was close to tears. "So do I, love. So do I."

#HP#

The weather during the trip to Hogwarts was quite rainy. It had spread a gloomy atmosphere over all the passengers on the train. It didn't help that there was an escaped convict from Azkaban named Sirius Black who was currently roaming around freely outside the walls of Hogwarts.

The golden trio were in their usual compartment, they were busy trading theories about the worn out looking man who shared a cabin with them. Hermione was pretty sure that the stranger was their new Defense teacher since the fraud Gilderoy Lockhart was fired after it was found out that he was publishing the actual stories of people who he obliviated.

The train had passed by a long tunnel, when all of a sudden there was a blood curling scream that emitted from one of their neighbouring cabins. The hair on Hermione's arms stood up and felt as if she was starting to fall into a deep state of depression. Her arms started to get cold and she quite literally felt as if she had no chance of being happy ever again.

There was another horrified scream followed by desperate whimpers coming from the same cabin from before. As if in a trance, Hermione slowly made her way towards the source of the frightened screams. She opened the door of the cabin a few feet away from theirs, and on the floor she could see that Syrine Lestrange was writhing on the ground. She didn't pay any attention to anyone else who was inside. The only thing that Hermione heard was Syrine's broken voice shouting "Daddy" and "Don't leave me" over and over again.

Despite the feeling of despair trying to overwhelm Hermione, she was still able to watch Syrine as she flailed on the ground. She couldn't stop herself from kneeling beside Syrine. She grabbed the slytherin's head and placed it on her lap. Hermione knew that what she felt at that moment was hopelessness, but as she looked as Syrine's face, it was definite that the girl who shared the same face as her was going through hell.

Bright light penetrated through the cabin and in an instant the feeling of coldness vanished; it was a replaced by warmth and the unmistakable feeling of hope. It was a few more seconds before Hermione realized where she was. Hermione was surprised when someone dragged her away from the now unconscious form of Syrine Lestrange on the floor.

"What did you do to her mudblood?!" Draco shouted. Hermione completely snapped out of her trance and looked up at the face of the blonde Slytherin. She actually thought that if looks could kill, she would have been dead by now. It was the very first time in her life where she saw that kind of expression on Draco Malfoy's face.

Draco didn't wait for any answer from Hermione. After he had dragged Hermione outside their cabin, he ran back to Syrine and checked to see if she was breathing.

"Sy!"Draco muttered desperately as he tried to shake her awake. "Wake up. Wake up!"

Hermione just stared at the two slytherins as Draco continued to try to bring any form of consciousness back to Syrine. It was at that moment that Ron had found her.

"There you are, Mione!" Ron called her worriedly. "Harry and I were worried when you disappeared."

Hermione didn't answer; her eyes were still glued to Syrine who was still lying motionless on the floor while Draco was becoming more desperate to wake her up.

"Professor!" Ron shouted.

The man who was formerly asleep inside the golden trio's cabin ran to them, closely followed by Harry who was still looking quite pale. He quickly approached the two slytherins. Despite Draco's reluctance to let him handle Syrine, he had no choice because he finally introduced himself as a professor.

The man now known as Professor Remus Lupin lifted Syrine on to the cabin's seat and assessed her using a few diagnostic spells. Draco was hovering around the two of them looking very worried.

"It's the muggleborn's fault." Draco told Lupin. "Sy was fine a while ago. When that freakish atmosphere filled the cabin, she started screaming. When I came to my senses, the mud- I mean, Granger was holding her as if she was trying to hurt her."

"I did no such thing!" Hermione shouted at Draco. She was worried too; it wasn't fair that Draco was accusing her of such things.

"Really then?" Draco whined. "Then why do you suppose she's still unconscious?!"

Lupin cleared her throat, "Calm down. I know you're all worried."

"Can you tell me what's wrong with her, Sir?" Draco asked. It was clear to Hermione that whenever Syrine was involved, Draco was always very attentive.

"She'll be okay. She's just in a minor shock after the Dementors passed by here. I'll bring her up to Madam Pomfrey once we're at Hogwarts." Lupin answered professionally.

"Dementors?" Hermione asked. "Aren't they the ones who were supposed to be guarding Azkaban?"

Professor Lupin nodded, "It seems as if the ministry has allowed them to roam around after Sirius Black's escape."

Hermione nodded, nobody else said anything after that. Before Hermione came back to their cabin, she looked at Syrine one last time. She knew that the effect of the Dementors were to amplify the negative feelings of a person's worst memories, her chest clenched painfully when she realized that whatever Syrine's memories were, it really broke her.


	10. Chapter 9: Sleeping Snake

**A/N: The more reviews I get, the more I am pumped up to write another chapter. I'm gonna try my best to update as quickly as I can.**

Upon reaching Hogwarts, Professor Lupin made sure that Syrine was able to be seen at once by Madam Pomfrey. Though Hermione was inexplicably worried for the unconscious Slytherin girl, it relieved her a bit when she saw that Draco was watching her like a mother hen watched it's newly hatched chicks. The Golden Trio, despite feeling still a bit shaken after the Dementor's presence, made their way to the Great Hall for the welcoming feast.

Compared to the train ride to Hogwarts, the feast was rather uneventful. The only difference in the Headmaster's speech was to be vigilant whenever they find themselves outside of Hogwarts' walls since Sirius Black was still at large. While Hermione slowly ate dinner, she kept glancing towards the Slytherin table to see if Syrine and Draco were back. It made her a bit uneasy when the two still weren't present at dinner.

"Hey Harry." Hermione said, Harry immediately stopped eating and turned his attention to her.

"What is it, Mione?" Harry asked.

"I'm going to borrow your cloak later." Hermione whispered, she was still stealing glances over at the Slytherin table.

Harry stared at her for a little bit, after a moment of silence he nodded and said, "Okay, but I'm definitely going with you."

Hermione looked a bit conflicted for a little bit before she finally agreed. "Just us, okay?"

"Okay."

The two of them looked at Ron at the same time; he never noticed their strange conversation since he was busy stuffing himself with a roasted turkey leg. Hermione grimaced at the site, Harry seemed like he was quite amused.

"Slow down, Ronald." Hermione told him.

Ron just grinned, "I'm hungry."

The feast ended after an hour when all the students finished their meals. The prefects and the head boy and girl for the year assisted the new first years towards their respective dorms. The third year Gryffindors also went back to the tower in order to arrange their belongings in their rooms.

Hermione lied awake on her bed and waited for everybody else to fall asleep in the girl's dorm. Once she heard Lavander Brown snoring, she was sure that it was the best time to go to the common room and meet up with Harry. She quickly pulled on a warm jumper and silently exited the room. Harry was already at the common room waiting for her, with the invisible cloak in his hand. She wasted no time and went to Harry immediately.

"We're going to the hospital wing, aren't we?" Harry asked. The expression on his face told Hermione that he knew the answer to his question already.

"I just want to make sure that she's okay." Hermione answered simply.

Harry nodded, "Before we go, I just want to ask you something." Hermione stared at him and signalled him to go on. "What's going on between you and Syrine?"

Hermione shrugged, "I honestly don't know Harry, but I'll tell you once I find out."

Without saying anything else, Harry handed the cloak to Hermione.

"I know about your visits in the hospital wing when I was petrified, Harry. I also know why you think there's something between me and Syrine. I saw and heard everything when I was petrified." Hermione confessed.

Harry's eyes widened a little bit. He felt very embarrassed because he'd been lying about that since last year. "Well, I'm feeling like a fool right now."

Hermione chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I kind of understand why you did it. Let's go, Harry"

Harry chuckled. Hermione then pulled the invisible cloak over the two of them and made sure that it covered their feet. They exited the tower, passing by the sleeping Fat Lady who happened to be snoring quite loudly.

"Hope she doesn't wake up the other portraits." Harry joked.

Hermione sniggered, "Don't be mean, Harry."

The two Gryffindors slowly made their way towards the infirmary. They made sure to check each corner before they continued because Filch would often patrol the halls to search for any foolish students who would want to go waltzing around Hogwarts after curfew. They were able to reach the infirmary after half an hour; they almost opened the door when somebody beat them to it.

Severus Snape, the Potions professor and the head of Slytherin house was firmly escorting Draco Malfoy out of the infirmary. It was pure luck that Harry and Hermione were able to quickly move to the sides so that they wouldn't get hit by the door when it opened. It was clear that Draco didn't want to leave yet, he was struggling to get free from Professor Snape's grasp.

"I need to stay here Professor. Syrine needs me." Draco said seriously.

"What she needs right now is rest Mr. Malfoy. And so do you." Snape told Draco in a tone that sounded as if Draco had no choice but to follow.

"But-"

"Go. I am your house's head Mr. Malfoy. This is my order. Go back to the dungeons, if you ever encounter Mr. Filch in the halls; tell him that you were out because of an order from me."

Draco frowned; he knew very well that his reluctance to go back to the dungeons wouldn't sit well with his head of house. No matter how worried he was about Syrine, his headmaster would drag him back to the dungeons if he didn't follow.

"Yes sir." Draco complied, "But first thing in the morning, I'll be back to visit her."

Snape answered him with a curt nod and signalled him to go. Draco left with a slight droop in his shoulders. It was evident that the blonde Slytherin was quite affected because of Syrine's condition.

When Professor Snape was sure that Draco wouldn't return, he opened the doors to the infirmary and went back in. Harry and Hermione took it as a chance and followed closely behind him; making sure that their footsteps were silent with a well casted _Silencio._ The Gryffindor duo followed him to one of the beds in the infirmary which was uncharacteristically isolated from the rest. Madam Pomfrey was looking quite worriedly at the occupant of the bed. As the potions professor joined the healer, Harry and Hermione quietly shuffled to the side so that they were able to view Syrine.

On the surface, Syrine looked as if she was just asleep, but Hermione's instincts told her that there was something else wrong with her. It wasn't just because both Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey had worried looks on their faces. It was because deep inside of herself, she could feel that Syrine was not okay.

"Are you sure that this was just because of the Dementors?" Snape asked. "She wasn't hit by some sort of curse?"

"Mr. Malfoy and Remus both narrated that she lost consciousness after the Dementors got on the train." Poppy answered. "But this is an extremely different reaction. I know that Dementor's often make people relieve their worst memories, but in Ms. Lestrange's case, physically she's okay but she hasn't regained consciousness since she arrived."

"Have you tried waking her up with a spell?" Snape inquired. Poppy just nodded, but the look in her eyes clearly told Snape that the spell didn't work on her.

Snape cursed under his breath. It was the first day of the term and he already had an unconscious student under his wing. What was worse was that the student in question was the only child of Bellatix and Rodolphus Lestrange, two of his 'old' friends. And also, If Lucius ever found out that Syrine was still unconscious, the senior Malfoy would definitely have his head on a platter. The head of the Malfoy family had a soft spot for his niece who was still unconscious on the hospital bed.

"I actually wanted to show something to you Severus." Poppy told him worriedly.

"What is it?"

"I used a spell a while ago to determine the stability of her magical core since I thought something else was wrong with her and I found something disturbing." Poppy answered.

"Show me." Snape directed her.

Poppy approached the bed, Snape watched closely as the resident Hogwarts healer made a series of complicated wand movements while muttering several spells successively. Once she was finished, a small ball of light rose out from Syrine's chest and floated above her.

The Gryffindors who were watching on the sides had no idea what was happening. They didn't understand why the ball of light which glowed eerily as mists of black swirled within it could tell the status of Syrine's magical core.

"You see Severus, a normal magical core glows bright. Look at hers closely." Poppy told him.

Snape went closer to the floating ball and saw that the black mist was tainting the purity of her magical core. He let out another series of profanities under his breath and looked more worried than before.

"Is this what I think it is?" asked Snape.

Poppy nodded. "Her magical core looks like it was damaged before, and someone used an extremely dark of form of magic to try and make it whole again. I think that was why the Dementors had such an effect on her. Those dark creatures exacerbated the dark magic which was already inside her."

Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey continued conversing about Syrine's condition. Hermione already stopped listening because she was slowly making her way to the ball of light which was still floating above her 'twin'. Harry wasn't able to notice that Hermione's hand was already outstretched to reach out towards the light.

"Hermione, No!" Harry shouted, but it was too late. Hermione had already touched the projection of Syrine's magical core. There was a blinding light which emanated from the contact and Hermione was pushed back with sheer force along with Harry.

When everything was clear again, the two adults in the room didn't know why there were now two Gryffindors lying on the floor unconscious or why the orb of light above Syrine's chest slowly returned into her chest.

"Looks like more work, Poppy. We should wake Minerva up." Snape muttered while he was nursing his head due to a worsening headache.

"This turned out to be a pretty eventful first day." commented Poppy.

 **A/N: Love it? Hate it? I'd love to hear your thoughts**


	11. Chapter 10: Just Desserts

**A/N: To** **gorloxianfang** **, holdy dragon dung indeed! Thank you for your review, it really made me laught. To Frozen789, thank you for appreciating my work, I can't tell you how much your comments mean to me!**

Hermione had no idea what had hit her. One second she was slowly reaching out to touch that eerie ball of light floating above Syrine's chest, and then a second later she found herself inside a forest which felt quite familiar to her. She didn't think that she was in a dream because she could feel everything surrounding her, the light breeze which gently caressed her cheek and the rawness of the earth she stepped on.

Hermione then looked at her body and was surprised to see that she had become so small. She looked at her hands and it actually looked short and pudgy like that of a child's. Hermione chuckled, that was the proof that she was actually dreaming again. The difference now was that she was no longer like a spectator; she concluded that she was in the body of one of the twins instead.

"Mione!" someone called out, "Mione, where are you?!"

Hermione's small body acted on its own and started running away from the person who was calling her. She realized that she was now like a passenger, waiting for the dream to unfold slowly. She tried to remember where she heard the voice of the person calling her, she wasn't quite sure but she thought that it sounded a lot like the voice of Iris when she heard her speak during her very first dream which involved the fire.

"I can hear you running Mione!" Iris desperately called. "Don't leave me!"

Hermione heard herself giggling, but she hadn't spoken a word. She just kept running and running.

"It's not funny anymore, Mione! I don't want to play hide and seek anymore." Hermione heard Iris complain. It was clear that the other girl was starting to get scared because her voice shook as she spoke.

Hermione wanted to stop and run back to where Iris was; but the Hermione in the dream kept running as if she was enjoying making Iris scared.

"I told you that I didn't want to play! There are wild animals out here! We could really get hurt!" Iris shouted, it was obvious that the little girl was starting to get a bit desperate.

Hermione was getting a bit annoyed because the owner of the actual body still didn't stop. She ran a few meters more before she saw a rock formation near a cliff; she crawled into one of its small holes and decided to hide there.

Iris was still calling out to Hermione. The voice sounded like it was more worried than scared. Iris ran around the area, desperately searching for any signs of her sister.

Unbeknownst to Hermione, a small lizard was living in the same hole that she hid in. It was angry that its territory was being invaded by a foolish little bushy haired girl, it decided to bite Hermione's leg which caused her to scream.

Iris, upon hearing her sister's scream ran towards the place where she hid in. "I'm coming Mione!"

Hermione scampered out of the hole; upset that the lizard didn't want her inside. She sat on the ground and waited for her sister to get arrive. She heard Iris' frantic footsteps as she ran to her. She wasn't able to see Iris yet because the area was surrounded by tall grass. It easily towered over them. Iris was already quite near, the steps were getting louder. Hermione could tell that she was only a few feet away when she heard the ground crumble followed by a terrified shriek.

Hermione quickly stood up, her heart hammering inside her chest because she remembered that she was in a place which was so close to a cliff. She went to the edge and her heart almost gave out when she saw that her twin was lying unconscious, bloody and broken at the bottom of the cliff.

At that moment, Hermione let out the loudest scream she had ever heard in her entire life.

#HP#

Hermione was still screaming as her vision disappeared; once she was able to see again, she found herself standing outside a door located in a lengthy hallway decorated with elegant markings on the wall and a few scenic paintings. It was now completely silent; she wondered at once what ever happened to Iris when she fell over the cliff.

The body of the little Hermione Granger in the dream was fidgeting outside the door she was standing in front of. The older Hermione had an idea on who was it that was inside the room.

"Why aren't you going in, Mione?" she heard Iris call from the inside.

The older Hermione felt instantly relieved when she found out that Iris was okay. She slowly pushed open the door and went in shyly. She could see that Iris was lying on her huge bed because she was still injured. There was a large bandage wrapped around her tiny head, and both her left arm and left leg was in a cast.

"Don't pout ,Mione. I'm okay." Iris reassured her.

"But-"

Iris smiled lovingly towards her sister, "It's not your fault. I wasn't being careful. Come here." She beckoned Hermione to come lie beside her on the bed. Hermione slowly walked towards Iris and climbed on the bed with her.

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have hid from you, Iris." Hermione heard herself apologize.

Iris replied with a smile, "Shush. No more apologies, I'm really glad that nothing happened to you. I thought you were being attacked by a wild animal when you screamed."

"But I was! The lizard bit me!" Hermione protested.

Iris burst out laughing despite the obvious pain she felt, "Poor lizard."

"Hey!" and Hermione laughed as well.

After a few more seconds of laughter, the twins looked at each other lovingly and smiled.

"I want to make it up to you." Hermione said.

"There's actually no need." Iris muttered, and then smiled mischievously, "but if you insist, you can give me your share of the dessert for the rest of your life."

"Is that all?" Hermione asked, grinning.

"One more thing." Iris whispered.

"What is it?"

"Don't ever leave me again."

The twins looked at each other again and Hermione could feel the deepness of the bond that they shared with each other. It was nothing like she ever felt before.

"I won't ever leave you, I promise."

Hermione gently placed her hand over the side of her sister's face; just over the mole on her right cheek, the only part of her body that distinguished her from Hermione.

#HP#

When Hermione woke up, she felt as if she was almost at a breakthrough with regards to finding out what was really her relationship with Syrine Lestrange. She felt that the dreams she kept having weren't really just dreams but bits and pieces of a life that she lived a long time ago. She knew now that she needed to learn more about the magical Granger family before she could conclude anything else.

"Oh good, you're awake." Madam Pomfrey said as she passed by her bed.

"How long was I out?" Hermione asked.

"The whole night up till noon, dear. Mr. Potter woke up just a few minutes after you were both knocked out." answered the resident healer. "I told him to go back to the tower once he was alert enough."

Madam Pomfrey looked at Hermione suspiciously, "Is there a problem, Madam?" the Gryffindor asked.

"You and Mr. Potter will both serve detention once I'm sure you're okay. Your head of house wanted me to tell you that once you woke up." Madam Pomfrey informed her.

Hermione nodded, she knew that getting caught out after curfew would lead to trouble but she still felt that it was worth the punishment. She was a little closer to finding answers to the mystery surrounding her the moment she set foot into Hogwarts.

"There's lunch for you at the bedside table. You can go after you eat." Madam Pomfrey instructed. "Do you have any more questions, dear?"

"Is Sy- I mean, is Ms. Lestrange awake now?"

The elderly matron smiled and nodded, she said nothing more and finally left. Hermione felt her stomach rumble; she looked at her lunch and saw that she had a serving of pudding included in it. She got off her bed and took the pudding; she went to where Syrine's bed was.

Syrine still looked a little pale. When she saw Hermione approach her, there was a vulnerable look in her eye but she quickly masked it up with an indifferent expression on her face.

"Don't bother me, Granger." Syrine said.

Hermione placed the pudding on Syrine's bedside table.

"Are you trying to poison me now? Is that it?"

Hermione shook her head, "You can have my share of dessert. I promised you that, didn't I?"


	12. Chapter 11: Old Photographs

**A/N: I won't be able to upload daily like I've been doing the week before, work is starting to get busier but I'll promise to update as fast as I can. To ponystories, there you are! Thanks for reading : ), to gorloxianfang, I'm glad you're enjoying this, and to shrugs, I understand your concern but I had to not alphabetize the names since I had to make Syrine's entrance at the last more like a big reveal.**

Syrine looked at Hermione and at the dessert as if both had sprouted two heads at the same time. This was obviously not the reaction Hermione was expecting, she expected the Slytherin's facade to break a little bit but it seemed as if Syrine wasn't going to give in so easily.

"What are you on about, Granger?" Syrine told Hermione, although it sounded a bit rude, Syrine was still quite weak that it didn't sound as harsh as she wanted it too.

Hermione sighed, "Forget what I said. But keep the pudding, you need more sugar. You look like a ghost."

With Hermione's remark, a strange expression befell Syrine's face; it was as if the Gryffindor had hit a sore spot.

"A ghost, huh?" Syrine said with a haunted look in her eyes.

"Just eat. I'm going now; I'm going to eat lunch at the Great Hall so that I can talk with Harry." Hermione said.

"Why the bloody hell are you telling me this? I obviously don't care. I'm not your mother, swot." Syrine muttered looking really annoyed.

Hermione chuckled; she was still testing the waters to see how Syrine would react to her vague messages.

"I'm being too nice, aren't I?" Hermione asked. "I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. You see, you look a lot like a person I knew before, she was like a sister to me."

Syrine glared at Hermione, "Don't you have someone else to annoy?"

Hermione nodded, "Eat the pudding." She didn't think that it was necessary to say anything more; she finally turned her back towards Syrine and left the hospital wing.

Once Syrine was sure Hermione was gone, she slowly sat up on the bed. She reached out for the pudding that Hermione gave her and got a spoon from her bed side table. As she ate the pudding the Gryffindor know-it-all gave her, she had a very beautiful smile plastered on her face.

#HP#

The months that passed by after the incident involving the Dementors were filled with a few minor incidents, one of which involved Draco Malfoy who was foolish enough to offend a Hypogriff during a Care of Magical Creatures class. The blonde Slytherin had ended up with an "awful" injury. Hermione expected Syrine to be a bit more vindictive when Draco got injured, but it seemed as if she had castigated him when she had learned that both Hagrid and Buckbeak, the hypogriff which caused the harm, were put into more trouble.

There was also another incident involving the fat lady and the escaped convict Sirius Black. The Fat Lady insisted that it was Black who scratched up her painting because he was trying to get into the Gryffindor common room so that he could hurt Harry. This caused majority of the Hogwarts students to feel unsafe during the year, especially Harry, who thinks that it was because of Sirius that his parents were both killed.

With the heavy atmosphere that surrounded the castle, it was no surprise that Hermione was getting nowhere with her research on the truth about the dreams she kept on having. She hadn't told Harry yet her suspicions since she didn't have any solid proof yet. She also didn't want to bother the boy-who-lived with her own problems since it was obvious that Harry was under a lot of stress lately.

After the incident at the infirmary, Hermione noticed that Syrine was avoiding running into Hermione outside of their joint classes like she was the plague. It made the Gryffindor more frustrated since she thought that she was making some progress. Despite the lack of tangible evidence that she and Syrine were related in some way, she still had that very strong gut feeling that her dreams were quite close to the truth

Hermione was strolling around Hogwarts when she saw Professor Mcgonagall, levitating behind her a stack of old boxes filled to the brim with various knickknacks.

"Good morning, Professor" Hermione greeted the Transfiguration professor.

"And a good morning to you too, Ms. Granger," Professor Mcgonagall greeted back.

"Is there anything that I can help you with, Professor? I'm free at the moment and I'm looking for something to do." Hermione asked.

The professor was silent for a moment and looked as if she was contemplating something. She then smiled at her lion cub and nodded.

"I have to sort the things in these boxes, would you like to help me?" The professor inquired.

Hermione answered her with a big smile, and off they went to Professor Mcgonagall's quarters. Upon their arrival there, the professor levitated the boxes onto the floor and arranged them next to each other.

"Those are some momentos from students in the past and it got mixed up with an assortment of things because of Peeves. I only found out recently that the resident poltergeist has been using this as his storage for his 'tricks'." Professor Mcgonagall explained. "Would be okay if you sorted out the boxes for me Ms Granger? You can throw Peeve's toys away. Some of it are still oozing with ectoplasm."

Hermione nodded, and sat down beside one of the boxes and started sorting. She loved doing menial tasks like that when she wanted to relax. She had easily gone through three boxes until she saw a number of pictures. She looked at each picture and noticed that it must have been taken a very long time ago since the uniforms were quite different than the one they were using now. She was about to put the pictures down when she noticed something about the last picture she was holding.

One of the pictures wasn't a magical one; it was obviously taken by a muggle camera since the people in the picture weren't moving. But what was weirder than that was the fact that they had the same exact picture at home. It was even mounted at their living room.

"Professor, who is this?" Hermione asked as she pointed to the girl in the picture who was at the edge of the picture.

The Transfiguration professor came nearer and looked at the picture as well, "It's funny how you actually found that. That's a photo from muggle studies before when the former professor brought a muggle camera into class. As for who that is dear, that girl's name is Jean Montblanc."

Hermione's eyes widened, she realized she was holding the exact proof that she needed to finally figure out the mystery surrounding the Granger family.

"Was she your student before?"Hermione inquired.

"Yes, it's kind of a coincidence that she caught your attention. Jean Montblanc was like you during her time here in Hogwarts. Brilliant and talented, the only difference between you two was that she was a pureblood and you are of muggle descent." answered the professor. "She was also quite shy; she didn't like to socialize very much."

"Where is she now?"

"I'm sorry but I don't know dear. After she graduated from Hogwarts, I never saw or heard from her ever again."

Hermione was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say after seeing a picture of her own mother as a student in Hogwarts. She had asked her mother before where the picture was taken and she had answered her that it was a picture from her boarding school.

"You look pale, Ms. Granger. Are you alright?" The professor asked, clearly looking concerned.

"Yes professor. Can I take this picture? I want to show it to someone." Hermione queried.

"Sure, why not?"

Hermione thanked Transfiguration professor after she had finished sorting the boxes. She put the photo in her pocket; she needed to keep it in a safe place until she went home for Christmas break. Her parents needed to explain themselves.


	13. Chapter 12: Escaping Death

**A/N: I am extremely overwhelmed by all your good reviews. Thank you everyone! Just wanted to inform you that I had to rewrite this chapter after I uploaded it a few days ago because it had a lot of errors in it. It was a lesson learned, I will never rush to finish a chapter again just to update a story faster. Thanks to ponystories for being such a good critic! Hope this chap is less confusing,**

The golden trio was extremely stressed out after a night filled with life changing revelations which were discovered at the Shrieking Shack. The first big reveal came in the form of the true identity of Ron Weasley's pet rat who turned out to be Peter Pettigrew, one of the original marauders who was long thought to be dead after being murdered by none other than Sirius Black. The second and more shocking revelation was when Harry found out that Sirius Black, the escaped convict from Azkaban, was actually his godfather and was also completely innocent. It was actually Pettigrew, who sold out Harry's parents to Voldemort.

The night had turned sour after Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf, it sparked a sense of panic among the occupants of the shack and it led to a series of events which led to the eventual escape of the traitor Peter Pettigrew, to Ron being knocked out and to Sirius being apprehended by the ministry.

After Sirius' arrest, the ministry scheduled for him to receive the Dementor's kiss on the night following his capture. On the very same day, Buckbeak, the hypogriff who had previously injured Draco Malfoy, was also set for execution. Harry and Hermione were at their wit's end trying to figure out how to save Sirius and Buckbeak who were obviously both innocent.

Unable to think of a solid plan on how to go about with the rescue, Harry and Hermione decided to make up a plan once they were there. The two of them decided to hide among Hagrid's pumpkin patch which had a clear view of the location where Buckbeak was being detained. They decided to cut the chains off once the coast was clear. At present, Hagrid was still there looking depressed as he tried his best not to cry as he said goodbye to his hypogriff friend.

It was a quarter of an hour more before Hagrid decided to leave. Harry started to make his move when they heard another set of footsteps coming toward Hagrid's hut. Hermione pulled Harry back and waited for who was coming. It was a large surprise to see that it was Syrine Lestrange.

"She's going to hurt Buckbeak. We have to stop her." Harry said immediately.

Hermione wasn't sure why she didn't believe Harry. "Let's wait. I don't think she will."

"But-"

Hermione shushed Harry immediately and the boy-who-lived had no choice but to wait it out. Syrine was a few feet away from Buckbeak when the Gryffindor duo noticed that she was bowing. It was taught in class that one had to bow to a hypogriff to give it a proper greeting. A few moments more and Buckbeak bowed back to her. Syrine took a few more steps and was now beside the hypogriff.

Harry tensed; he was itching to grab his wand and shoot a stunner if Syrine made the wrong move.

"Patience, Harry. It doesn't look like she wants to hurt him." Hermione whispered.

The raven haired slytherin put her arms around the hyporiff's neck and hugged him. From Harry and Hermione's point of view, it also seemed as if the Slytherin was whispering something into Buckbeak's ear. The hypogriff seemed to nod in understanding.

A few more seconds and Syrine made a grab for her wand; Harry was quick to draw his too in order to prevent Syrine from causing any harm. Before Harry could cast a stunner, Hermione was able to stop him by yanking on his wand hand.

"Hermione, what are you doing?!" Harry muttered angrily.

"Just look first!"

Harry turned to look at Syrine again and he saw that she was now standing by the chains that were keeping Buckbeak grounded. In a matter of moments, the chain was cut and Buckbeak was free. Harry was speechless; the slytherin actually helped the hypogriff escape.

Buckbeak didn't fly off immediately; it walked towards Syrine and gently placed its head on her shoulders. Syrine smiled and hugged the hypogriff tightly; they stayed like that for a few seconds before Syrine had directed Buckbeak to leave. When Syrine was sure that the hypogriff had safely escaped, she also left Hagrid's hut.

"What just happened?" Harry whispered.

"I knew it!" Hermione joyfully exclaimed.

"What?" Harry was obviously confused about what they just saw.

"Buckbeak is safe now Harry, now we just have to figure out a way to help Sirius escape.

Harry was clearly flabbergasted, "But why did she do it?"

Hermione sighed, "If I were you Harry, I'd be thankful that somebody had done it instead of questioning why."

#HP#

It was almost time for Sirius to receive the Dementor's kiss, Harry and Hermione made their way towards the tower where Sirius was being kept. The two of them were under the invisibility cloak so that they could easily pass by unnoticed by the guards. Buckbeak's escape turned out to be quite a good distraction, while many of the ministry aurors were busy looking for the escaped Hypogriff; the number of people who were guarding Sirius Black's detention chamber grew thin.

They were only a floor away from Sirius' detention chamber when they ran into a large black dog. Harry was able to recognize the animal as his godfather's animagus form. Though they weren't visible to the people outside of the cloak, it was clear that Sirius knew where they were. After checking to see if the coast was clear, Sirius changed back into his human form. Harry took off the cloak and revealed himself and Hermione.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" Sirius asked worriedly, "You shouldn't be here, it's not safe."

"We actually came here to save you." Harry replied awkwardly. "How did you get out?"

Sirius stared into space for a little bit, "The oddest thing actually happened, one of the guards walked into the room looking dazed and he actually freed me."

"What? I mean, I'm glad that you're here but I wonder why he did that." Harry said, looking confused once again.

"Let's talk about it once I'm outside, I know I'm free as of now, but we don't really want to risk it, do we, Harry?" Sirius asked, he was already looking a bit more relieved compared to the time when they initially met each other.

Harry just nodded. Sirius transformed into his animagus form and dove inside the cloak along with Harry and Hermione. It was unbelievable how easy it was to exit the tower with the help of the cloak. They continued walking until they were near the edge of the Forbidden Forest at an area which was a bit secluded. Harry removed the cloak and placed it along his forearm.

"It's not that I'm complaining or anything, but I didn't expect it to be that easy." Harry muttered.

"You and me both, Harry. You and me both." Sirius said, the expression on his face also looked like he couldn't believe that he was free.

"I hate to break our little celebration Sirius, but you have to go now while the ministry still isn't aware that you've escaped." Hermione said worriedly. "Again."

Sirius chuckled, "You really have a way with words, Ms. Granger. I must have made a record of most successful escapes from the ministry."

Harry and Hermione grinned. Regardless of the real reason as to why the guard let Sirius go, it was definitely a load off their chests to finally see Sirius without the risk of dying from a Dementor's kiss.

"Where are you going to go Sirius?" Harry asked.

"I'll be close by Harry and before you say anything else, I'm not going to get caught again." Sirius reassured his godson.

"Keep in touch, Sirius." Harry said quite seriously.

"I will." Sirius said with a smile.

"If you need any help, just tell us okay?" Hermione reminded him.

Sirius nodded, "I'm going now."

Harry's godfather turned into a large black dog again, he started running into the forest. Before he completely disappeared, he looked back at Harry and Hermione one last time and barked affectionately. The two gryffindors waved goodbye and Sirius finally left.

"Hey, Hermione." Harry said.

"Yes, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Do you think Syrine had something to do with Sirius' escape?"

Hermione stared at Harry for a while, "I honestly don't know, Harry. But, who knows?"

#HP#

Syrine was riding behind Draco on his broom as they took off from the tower Sirius was previously detained in. Draco was looking annoyed while Syrine was looking quite satisfied with herself.

"I still don't understand why you had to help that madman escape." Draco complained. "You even had to use an unforgivable on that guard, and I know how much you hate doing that."

"It was necessary, how would I explain to him why I was helping him?" Syrine asked.

"But still, why?!" Draco asked again.

The raven haired slytherin was silent for a while, "Because I had to."

Draco sighed, "This will definitely be on the list of things you need to explain to me once you decide to stop being so damn secretive."

Syrine chuckled, "And yet, you still help me even if I don't tell you everything."

Draco grimaced, "It's my responsibility to help you. We've been helping each other since we were young. We're family."

Syrine smiled sadly, "Yes, family." Syrine wrapped her arms around Draco's waist and held him tightly. A blush immediately blossomed on Draco's cheek.

"Wha-What?!" Draco asked nervously.

"Thank you for helping me. I'll be counting on your help more in the future." Syrine said affectionately.

Dracp nodded, "Always."

 **A/N: If you've noticed, I removed the whole concept of the time turner in my version of events because for me, it actually opened a lot of plot holes. Just think, if there was a time turner and they gave it to Hermione just to catch up with her classes, why didn't they use it to fix a lot of things which were leagues more important than schoolwork? But that's just my opinion**.


	14. Chapter 13: Gift Giving

**A/N: Please tell me what you think? Please leave a review :P**

Sirius corresponded with his Gryffindor friends quite often throughout the months since he escaped from the ministry for the second time around. Harry found it amusing that his godfather had coincidentally met Buckbeak in one of the caves near Hogsmeade. Sirius reported that the two of them hit it off quite nicely and are spending their days as escapees in a relaxed and enjoyable manner. Although it seemed as if Sirius was quite happy with his current situation, Harry still felt angry that his godfather was still known as a murderer in the eyes of the law.

The Christmas break was a few days away; Harry decided to stay at Hogwarts since he didn't want to go home to the Dursleys. Ron invited him to stay at the Burrow, but Harry politely declined and said that he didn't want to intrude into the Weasley family celebration.

Hermione, who was also supposed to go home for the holidays, received an unpleasant surprise when she received a letter coming from her parents advising their daughter to stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays since there was an emergency with one of their relatives who was living overseas. She felt a bit miffed since she was looking forward to going home to finally confront her parents about the weird photo she found of her mother when she was sorting through Professor Mcgonagall's things. With the timing of her parents' sudden trip, she couldn't help but think that they were acting a bit fishy.

"Looks like you won't be alone for Christmas, Harry." Hermione said flatly after reading the letter from her parents.

Harry looked quite excited but he quickly changed his expression after Ron looked at him suspiciously, "Oh, why is that?"

"Mum and Dad are going overseas to visit a relative." Hermione replied with a frown.

"You don't look happy." Ron observed. "Is it because they're not taking you with them?"

"Not really, I just wanted to ask them something really important when I got home. Looks like I have to wait again till the end of term." Hermione explained.

"Don't be sad, Mione. At least you're with Harry this Christmas." Ron said cheerfully, he gave Harry a knowing look and grinned.

Harry blushed, but it went unnoticed by Hermione since she was busy feeling a bit bad because of the situation she was in. It was obvious that she was looking forward to going home for the holidays.

"We'll have a fun Christmas, Mione. Don't worry." Harry reassured her.

Hermione gave him a small smile, "I always have fun with you boys."

"You sure that you two don't want to come to the Burrow with me? Mum would be delighted to have you both." Ron asked.

"It's okay Ron. You told us before that Bill and Charlie will be going home for the hols this year, I don't want to be a bother." Hermione replied.

"Yeah, same here." Harry quickly added.

Ron chuckled, "Okay then, but be sure to come during summer."

"Of course, we will." Harry and Hermione added in unison.

#HP#

During the break, only Harry and Hermione stayed among the 3rd year Gryffindors. There were also a few more students from other houses who stayed, which included both Draco and Syrine from the Slytherin. It surprised Harry a bit to see the two Slytherins at Hogwarts since they always went home during the years before.

The 3rds years from both the rival houses didn't pay each other attention; this felt a bit awkward for both Harry and Hermione since they knew that it was Syrine who actually set Buckbeak free. They never told anyone else about it, but it proved to them that the female Slytherin wasn't actually evil.

It was Christmas Eve, after the remaining students had dinner in the Great Hall, Harry and Hermione decided to turn in early. It was a bit lonely for Hermione to stay at the girl's dorm alone, but she didn't have any choice. She read a few pages from Hogwarts: A History first before she finally fell asleep.

It was not long before Hermione found herself in another one of those weird dreams involving her 'twin'. She was now again the spectator; she was inside a large living room filled with Christmas decorations and there was a large tree near the corner of the room. Upon looking at the surroundings, Hermione felt that she'd been in the very same room before but she couldn't remember when. This made her consider that these dreams that she often had were actual memories that she had forgotten.

Inside the room, the younger version of Hermione and Iris were sitting in front of the Christmas tree. They were both busy opening various presents. It took a while before they got through each of their piles of gifts.

"Hey sis." Little Hermione called.

"What is it, Mione?" Iris asked.

Hermione took a clumsily wrapped gift from her pocket and handed it to Iris. "For you."

Iris looked surprised, but pleased at the same time. "You know you didn't have to, Mione." She said as she took the parcel from her sister's hands.

"Open it." Hermione instructed.

Iris carefully opened her gift, taking special care not to tear the wrapping. She smiled once she saw the gift that was inside. It was a bracelet which Hermione made herself. It was made from a special type of rope which their mother often used for her arts and crafts.

"Oh, I love it, Mione!" Iris exclaimed. She took the bracelet at once and put it around her wrist. "It's beautiful."

Hermione blushed, "It's not that pretty, Iris. But I definitely tried my best. When I'm older, I'll be sure to make you something prettier."

Iris grinned, "It fits me so well."

"Mummy put a charm on it so that it grows as you grow bigger." Hermione explained.

"That's just perfect. I can use the bracelet even when I'm older!" Iris exclaimed happily. She suddenly lunged forward and hugged Hermione tightly. "Thank you so much, Mione. You made me really happy. I'll treasure this forever."

Hermione hugged her sister back and smiled shyly, "Don't lose it, okay? The only time you can take that off is when I finally give you something better."

"Okay, I promise." Iris agreed happily.

It was at that moment that everything faded into black and Hermione found herself awake on her bed back at Hogwarts. As she looked at the window, she saw that it was already morning. She didn't feel well rested, she felt more bothered than relaxed because of the dream that she had. It was times like these that made her more eager to find out the truth.

She quickly put on her robes and exited the girl's dormitory. Harry was already waiting for her at the common room, looking exited because of the number of gifts he had received.

"Come on, Mione! Let's open our presents." Harry cried out enthusiastically.

Hermione grinned, "Hold your horses."

When the two gryffindors sat side by side on the couch, they started opening their gifts one by one. They both received an assortment of gifts from their loved ones. They both got another set of brand new Weasley sweaters from Molly; Harry wore his above his clothes at once.

Among the gifts Harry received, he was the most excited when he received a brand new Firebolt from Sirius. He was itching to try it out at once on the Quidditch pitch once they had breakfast. There were also gifts from Ron; Harry received a can of broom polish while Hermione received a tacky looking romance novel about a witch and a Quidditch player. Hermione didn't know why, but Harry blushed after seeing the cover of Hermione's book.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked. Although she found the book a bit distasteful, she still felt thankful that Ron gave her a gift.

"It's nothing. Nothing at all." Harry immediately replied, "Thanks for the gift, Mione." He was referring to a book that Hermione gave him which was about Quiditch through the Ages.

"You're welcome, Harry. Thanks for this too." Hermione said, as she held the silver necklace with a snitch for a pendant. "It's lovely."

"Anything for you." Harry meekly said as he blushed even more.

"Could you help me put it on?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, he took the necklace from Hermione and placed it around her neck while she had her back turned towards him. Harry was feeling a bit warmer when he finally saw the necklace sitting prettily across his friend's chest.

"It suits you." Harry said.

Hermione smiled, "It's perfect."

 **A/N: This chapter was supposed to be a bit longer but I had to divide it by two. This means the next chap isn't far behind.**


	15. Chapter 14: The Bracelet

**A/N: If I get 10 more reviews two days from now, I'll be posting another two chapters at once. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter because I had a great time while writing it.**

 **To USAAuror, thanks for your review, I think I have to note here that although I use a lot of events that happened in the actual series, I also changed a lot of events (hence, there are no use of time turners and there is an OC). I get that the timeline is confusing since I adjusted it in a way that would suit my story better, I hope that it doesn't dissuade you in reading my work. But I will definitely reread it again and see where I can tweak it so that it wouldn't be too confusing. I value your reviews and I will use it to improve my story. Thank you!**

Breakfast during Christmas didn't last very long because Harry wanted to try out his new broom immediately. Harry asked if Hermione wanted to come with him to the pitch but she declined because she wanted to get in some light reading at the library. Although Harry looked a bit disappointed, Hermione assured him that they would hang out again later at the common room after he was done testing out his Firebolt.

At the library, Hermione grabbed a book from the History section and went to her favourite reading spot at a desk which was located behind several shelves. It was a well hidden location, only a few students at Hogwarts knew that there was a desk there. She often went there to read because it was quiet enough to let her concentrate.

Hermione managed to read a chapter before somebody else arrived in the library. She didn't bother to go and see who arrived; she wasn't planning on interacting with anyone else while she was there. It was again a while when another person entered the library.

"There you are!"

Hermione recognized the voice at once, it belonged to Draco Malfoy.

"Why are we meeting here? It's Christmas, I didn't want to go to the library."

Hermione's ears perked up when she realized that it was Syrine who arrived after Malfoy. It wasn't normal for Hermione to eavesdrop, but she was curious as to why the two Slytherins were meeting at the library.

"The common room is a bit crowded; the first years decided to have an eggnog party there. I didn't think that you'd prefer their company instead of mine." Draco said sarcastically.

Syrine grinned, "There's always the lake, Drake. It feels stuffy inside the library."

"Sit down, will you?" Draco instructed her.

Syrine grabbed a chair and sat in front of Draco, "What's the matter?"

Draco looked at Syrine steadily and said, "I'm here to give you my gift."

Syrine sniggered, "Is that all? Why are you so serious about this? You've given me lots of gifts before."

Draco put an elegant box wrapped in green silk on the table "This one's special so please don't laugh."

Syrine's expression turned a bit more serious, "Okay, but you're definitely acting weird."

Draco just smiled, "You know that bracelet you're always wearing?"

"What about it?" she asked, looking a bit suspicious.

"You don't take it off, ever. I know it's very important to you even if you don't tell me who it was that gave it to you, but the problem is that; it's looking quite tattered already." Draco explained.

"So what?" Syrine asked, she sounded a bit irritated.

"Open the box." Draco told her.

Syrine took the box and took the lid off; inside was a silver bracelet which was designed to look like a snake coiled around a piece of wood. The eyes of the snake were two pieces of emerald.

"It's beautiful, Drake." Syrine said, looking quite touched as she gazed upon the bracelet.

"I wanted you to take off that bracelet of yours and wear this instead." Draco muttered.

Syrine became quiet; she made a motion to push back the box towards Draco until the blonde Slytherin grabbed her wrist.

"It's quite painful that you'd prefer to wear that tattered little thing instead of my gift." Draco said with a disappointed tone in his voice.

"I didn't ask for-"

Draco shushed her, "Let me finish talking." Syrine fell quiet and Draco continued. "I picked this bracelet because I thought that it suited you very well, it's pretty just like you. I know it was foolish of me to ask you to stop wearing something that you clearly loved and I apologize for it, but if it wouldn't be a bother to you, could you wear my gift as well?"

Syrine blushed, although Draco had been sweet to her through all the years that they had known each other, it was the first time that he acted this way towards her.

"What do you say? Would you wear it, for me?" Draco asked looking very hopeful.

Syrine smiled, "When did you learn to be so charming? The last time I checked, you were this brat who pretended to have life threatening injuries after a hypogriff attack."

Draco chuckled, "Well,I have to grow up eventually, right?"

Syrine took hold of the box again; she took the bracelet and handed it over to Draco, "Put it on me then."

Draco beamed; he immediately placed the bracelet on her wrist. It fit Syrine perfectly.

"Thank you, Drake." Syrine told him sincerely.

"You're welcome, Sy." Draco said in return.

Over at Hermione's table, she started to become quite curious after hearing Draco talk about a tattered bracelet which Syrine refused to take off. It reminded her of the dream she just had the night before. It made her want to see for herself what this bracelet looked like, so she decided to do something a bit foolish and out of character.

Hermione stood up from her secluded spot in the library and slowly made her way to the two Slytherins; the two were obviously shocked to see that she was there after thinking that they had the library all to themselves. Gathering her courage, Hermione stood by Syrine's chair and grabbed her hand which had the both the old and new bracelet around it.

Syrine looked panic stricken as Hermione laid her eyes on the old bracelet that she always wore; the expression on Hermione's face reflected the same expression as Syrine's.

"Bloody hell, Granger!" Draco exclaimed angrily. "What on earth do you think you're doing?"

Draco immediately stood up and forcefully dislodged Hermione's grip from Syrine's wrist. The blonde slytherin looked quite angry while Syrine and Hermione both looked white as snow.

"Syrine." Hermione whispered, looking horrified "Where did you get that bracelet?"

The raven haired slytherin had never looked so lost before. She placed her hand which had the two bracelets on it and held it close to her chest.

"What's it you, mudblood?!" Draco exclaimed hotly, "You actually have the decency to spy on us the whole time we were in the library and you even had the gall to ask Syrine that!"

Despite Draco's rant, Hermione kept ignoring him. She kept looking at Syrine and waited for her to answer.

"Syrine, where did you get that bracelet? Tell me." Hermione pleaded.

At that moment, Draco decided to insert himself between Syrine and Hermione. He didn't like that he was being ignored.

"I don't know if it's your mudblood upbringing that made you so rude, but if you don't stop pestering us, I will definitely hurt you." Draco threatened Hermione.

Hermione's gaze was defiant, "Well, hurt me then, I'm not going anywhere until your friend answers my question."

Draco was about to grab his wand when Syrine stopped him, "That's enough, Drake. I'll handle it."

Syrine stood up and positioned herself in front of Hermione, "I don't know why you're so curious, swot. But to answer your question, this bracelet was given to me by my dear mother, you know Bellatrix Lestrange, don't you?"

The cold expression that Syrine always had on was back. It bothered Hermione because she knew it was just another farce.

"Liar." Hermione told her, "I know who that bracelet belongs to."

"Really?" Syrine asked, "I remember my mother telling me that she took it from a little girl she killed before."

Hermione's confidence faltered, she didn't expect Syrine to tell her that.

"Not the answer you were hoping for then?" Syrine whispered in Hermione's ear.

Syrine smirked; she took Draco's hand in hers and started to walk towards the door.

Hermione clenched her fists and turned to look at her 'twin', "You're a very good actress, Syrine. But I'll find out the truth sooner or later."

Syrine acted as if she hadn't heard anything, she continued to pull Draco away as she exited the library. Once the two Slytherins were completely gone, Hermione went to another section of the library. She scanned the shelves until she found the book she was looking for. She returned to her old spot in behind the shelves and started to read the book entitled, "Memory Charms: Retrieving Lost Memories."


	16. Chapter 15: Truth and Lies

**A/N: Sorry this update took so long, being a nurse by profession, it really is quite hard to find time to write a story while I'm going out of my mind trying to make deadlines at work.**

The confrontation which occurred on Christmas between the Gryffindor and Slytherin who shared the same face led to an awkward atmosphere even when classes had resumed after the break. Hermione tried her best to get Syrine alone so that they could talk, but Syrine was doing the opposite and was avoiding her 'twin' as if her life depended on it.

Hermione was getting more and more frustrated as the weeks passed by; she knew that she was on to something. The reaction which the raven haired Slytherin had when she asked about the bracelet clearly showed that she was hiding something, that moment in the library literally caught Syrine off guard; her cool facade slipped for a few moments when Hermione had grabbed her hand. She didn't tell Harry anything about what happened in the library that day, for some reason, she wanted to keep it all to herself until she found out the whole truth. The only problem was that, her research on memory charms, particularly on Obliviation, didn't end up as productive as she expected it to be. There were no known counter curses for it; there was only one instance in her research where the person who lost the memories got it back, and it was through torture, and getting tortured wasn't in any of Hermione's plans as of the moment.

When classes resumed, Hermione often got a bit distracted, there were a lot of times when Hermione found herself staring at the back of Syrine's head even during lessons. Although both Harry and Ron found it a bit weird, they never asked her why she kept doing it. Aside from her best friends, some of her professors also took notice of her behaviour. The most notable incident happened in a Potion's class, when Professor Snape caught Hermione staring at Syrine for the nth time during the period. He docked points from Gryffindor because Hermione wasn't being attentive. Despite getting called out, Hermione acted as if she didn't mind losing the points but she stopped staring after that.

One night, Hermione was walking back to the Gryffindor tower from the library since it was almost time for curfew. The halls were very quiet and the torches across the walls cast eerie shadows on the floor. Despite having walked past the same halls for countless times, Hermione couldn't help but feel as if she was being followed that night. She quickened her pace, if her intuition was right; any person who was following her during that late hour was surely up to no good.

She turned to a corner, she almost felt a bit relieved since she thought she was just imagining things until a spell hit her at the back. She was suddenly rendered immobile, her heart hammered in her chest as she heard footsteps approaching her. It was a few more seconds before she was face to face with the person she'd been preoccupied with for the past few weeks, Syrine Lestrange.

"Hello, Granger." Syrine greeted her coldly.

Hermione glared at the raven haired Slytherin, she didn't appreciated the fact that she was stalked and was then hit by a spell when her back was turned.

Syrine waved her wand and Hermione was able to move again, she was about to speak when Syrine hit her with a Silencio.

"You'll ruin things if you talk. It's my turn to speak." Syrine calmly said. "Listen, swot. I don't appreciate the fact that you've been giving me unwanted attention since the incident at the library. I especially do not appreciate the fact that our head of house has noticed your weird obsession with me. I don't know if you've noticed, but I have tried my best to not get any extra attention ever since 1st year. As if bearing the Lestrange family name wasn't enough, you just had to be an annoying little swot and put me on the spotlight, didn't you?"

Hermione looked confused, she seriously wanted to answer back but the spell prevented her from doing so.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you but you have to do what I say so that you don't encounter any more problems. Nod if you understand, Granger."

Hermione reluctantly did so; she was now covered in cold sweat.

"I know what's going on in your twisted little mind. You think that you and I have a connection, and you think that in some way, you're missing out on the big picture because you assume that there's a big secret and you have no idea what it is. I know that you're trying your best to figure it out but I am telling you now, the only thing we share is the same face; nothing more, nothing less. There is no big secret here, there's just you, trying to believe a story that you made up in your own convoluted mind."

Syrine took a deep breath and stared directly into Hermione's eyes, "Stop daydreaming Granger. I'm only going to warn you once, if you don't listen to me, you'll get yourself into more trouble."

Syrine waved her wand once again and Hermione felt her voice coming back. Syrine started walking away as if she hadn't threatened the Gryffindor just a few seconds before.

"I'm not scared of a little trouble, Lestrange. I'm in Gryffindor for a reason." Hermione said confidently.

Syrine stopped and glanced at Hermione, "I don't think that you've realized it yet, Granger. Gryffindors may be brave, but they're foolish. Foolish enough to get themselves into situations where they end up getting hurt."

"I know what you're doing, Syrine."

"I don't remember us being on a first name basis, Granger."

Hermione smiled bitterly, "Thank you for the warning, don't worry about the unwarranted attention I've been giving you in class, I'll stop."

"Good. Good bye then." Syrine started walking from Hermione again, but it seemed as if the brave Gryffindor wasn't finished talking yet.

"But I won't stop trying to find out the truth." said Hermione.

"There is no truth, I told you that already."

"There is." Hermione paused. "Your warning just proved it to me. Thanks for your concern, Syrine. You don't have to worry about me anymore. Whatever I find out in the coming months, I know it will all be worth the trouble I get into."

With those final words, Hermione was the first one to leave. Syrine stood still as she clenched her fists into a tight ball, "But what if it's not worth it? Mione, why do you have to be so persistent?"

#HP#

As the term ended and as the students finally went home for their summer break, Hermione stepped off the train and was rushing to meet with her parents. As she saw both her mother and father, she enveloped them into a hug and told them how much she missed them.

"Let's go home Mum and Dad. I've got plenty of stories to tell you about Hogwarts." Hermione told her parents excitedly.

Jean kissed her daughter's forehead, "Let's get in the car then."

Upon reaching home, Hermione waited for her parents to settle down in the living room before she finally told them about the year she had. She excitedly told them about the new spells she learned in class and about the wonderful creatures she got to know during some of the classes with Hagrid. Her parents listened attentively and looked quite pleased that their daughter was enjoying her time in school.

"By the way Mum, one of my professors in school asked me to sort of a few things of hers and I found something quite interesting." Hermione said innocently.

"Really, dear? What was it?" Jean asked curiously.

Hermione took out a photo from her pocket and she handed it to her mother, Jean's eyes widened as she realized what it was.

"Wh-Where- How-How did you get this?" Jean asked nervously.

Richard quickly stood up and grabbed the picture, he stared at it and his expression turned into that of fear.

"I don't know why you're both so surprised. You've got the same exact picture hanging in this house since I was a child. You told me it was a picture from boarding school." Hermione said rather nonchalantly.

Jean and Richard stared worriedly at their daughter's face. They were both silent; waiting for Hermione to say something else.

"Well, Hogwarts is a boarding school so that wasn't exactly a lie." Hermione paused, she then looked straight into her mother' eyes, "But when were you actually going to tell me that you were a witch too, Mum?

 **A/N: Dun dun dun. Next chapter will be up in a few days, most likely during the weekend. Thank you! Please do leave a review.**


	17. Chapter 16: The Past

**A/N: So sorry again for the late update, work was hectic and I may have spent some of my downtime reading a few fanfiction. *wink***

It was awfully quiet in the Granger living room after Hermione uttered her question. Richard and Jean Granger were just staring at her as if they wished thatthey were somewhere else. Hermione fidgeted for a while, she was almost at a point where she regretted having asked her parents. It was obvious that her suspicions were correct based from their reactions, but she couldn't bear seeing her parents shell-shocked.

"You should sit down now dad." Hermione told her father. Richard nodded, and sat down beside his wife. He took her hands in his and clenched it tightly.

"I'm-" Richard started.

"So I guess my suspicions were correct all along. I actually thought myself crazy for a while for suspecting that my parents were hiding something important from me." Hermione took a deep breath, "It's true, isn't it? Mum is a witch, Dad, you're a wizard?" There was a look of desperation in her eyes, it was almost like she wished that her parents told her that she was actually crazy.

Jean and Richard still weren't speaking, they held onto each other tighter and Richard gave Hermione a nod.

"When I first went home after 1st year, when I told you about the Granger family in the wizarding world, I was actually asking you about our own family, wasn't I?" Hermione asked, Richard gave her another nod.

A tear fell from Hermione's eye, but she still put a brave face on.

"The fact that you've been hiding in the muggle world, making the other world think that the Granger family is already gone, is it because of Iris?"

Jean inhaled sharply and started to cry, Richard gently enveloped his wife into a hug while he gave Hermione another nod.

"I have a lot of questions still...but-"Hermione sobbed, "Why did you obliviate me dad? "

At her question, Richard also started to cry. "Come here, Mione."

Hermione stood up and slowly walked towards her parents. Her knees felt weak, finding out that her suspicions were actually true opened up herself to a plethora of emotions which made her feel overwhelmed. Her parents made space for Hermione to sit down between them and they both hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, I am so sorry, Mione." Richard whispered into his daughter's ear. "Everything is daddy's fault."

At her father's words, Hermione finally gave into her emotions and let her tears flow freely. "It's not your fault, daddy."

Jean kissed her daughter's forehead, "Have your memories finally returned?"

Hermione shook her head, "There's still a lot I don't remember. Could you return my memories dad? I've read that there's no counter spell for Obliviation, but maybe you can do it since you're the one who cast it? I want to remember everything."

Richard looked sadly at his daughter, "I'm sorry, Mione. Even I can't reverse it; I'm actually surprised that you remember anything."

"I've been having strange dreams since I first went to Hogwarts. I thought they were just dreams at first, but they were so vivid, it almost felt as if it were pieces of my memory." Hermione whispered to her father.

"Your father may not be able to make you remember everything, Mione, but I promise to you that from now on, we'll be telling you about everything." Jean promised her daughter.

Hermione nodded, "I'd love that."

"I think that the heavy magic surrounding Hogwarts triggered your memories." said Richard.

"I don't think so, I think it must have been when I met-"Hermione was almost about to mention Syrine, when she stopped. Her gut was telling her to refrain first from telling her parents about Syrine, she didn't know why but she chose to hide it from them for the meantime. Her instinct led her to find out the truth about her past, it wouldn't hurt to listen to it for a little while longer.

"Met who dear?" Jean asked, looking curious.

"No one." Hermione quickly replied.

Her parents looked suspicious at first, but they eventually stopped let it slide.

"Can I ask a serious question dad?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why did you still use the surname Granger if you were hiding? I mean, that was one of the major clues that I stumbled upon when I went to Hogwarts." Hermione asked innocently, "Wouldn't it have been better to change it altogether?"

Jean chuckled while there was a stupid grin on Richard's face, "Grangers may be able to give up practicing magic, but they will never be able to give up their name."

Hermione smiled, "Can you tell me about my sister at dinner? I know it hurts to remember, but would it be okay?"

Richard nodded, "Of course dear, I was wrong to act as if we never had her in our life. I'm a failure as a father." Regret was clearly evident on his face.

Hermione hugged her father, "No, you're not. If Iris was alive, I know that she would understand why you did what you did."

Richard smiled sadly, "Perhaps."

#HP#

True to their words, Richard and Jean Granger spent their entire summer telling Hermione everything about the past she couldn't remember; they also showed her pictures of Iris that they've kept hidden for so many years. Throughout their conversations, she found out that the reason why death eaters targeted their family was because her parents refused to join their cause. Despite the farce that Hermione's parents put up for as long as Hermione can remember, she didn't feel mad or betrayed by their actions. Hermione knew well the grief that her parents must have felt each time they had to pretend that Hermione was their only daughter, she didn't want to make them feel any worse.

Hermione was satisfied that she was able to uncover a huge part of the truth about her past; the only thing she had to think about now was the real identity of Syrine Lestrange. She was almost sure that her sister who had supposedly died in the fire at their home was now living as Syrine Lestrange; but she wasn't sure how she ended up as the only daughter of the two evil death eaters. She made a promise with herself that when 4th year comes, she'll find out the truth even if Syrine won't cooperate with her.

It was only a few days before she went back to Hogwarts; Hermione was in her father's study looking at old pictures where she and Iris were both in. They looked so happy together; the pictures were taken in various places around their old home. Hermione had a smile on her face as she carefully embedded in her mind each picture she encountered. She may not be able to remember everything, but the pictures were able to give her a glimpse of what their life was like before the fire that destroyed everything.

One particular picture caught Hermione's attention; it was a picture of her and Iris during Christmas. She was sure that it was the very same day where she gave Iris the bracelet that Syrine was currently wearing since it was a shot of Iris proudly showing the bracelet off like it was a piece of the finest jewellery on earth.

"Hey dad." Hermione called.

Richard went into his study, "Yes Mione?"

Hermione showed him the picture she was holding, "Would it be okay if I took this with me to Hogwarts?"

Richard smiled warmly at her and patted her on the head, "Of course dear, you can take the other pictures if you want."

"I only want this one." Hermione said. "I sort of wanted to hang up the other pictures around the house."

Jean also entered the study, "That's a wonderful idea dear. I'm going to buy some frames later."

Hermione nodded eagerly, "I'm going with you. I'm going to pick out a special frame for this picture." She held up the picture for her mother to see.

"She loved that bracelet dearly." Jean said with a wistful smile on her face.

#HP#

On the night before she returned to Hogwarts for her 4th year, Hermione was rechecking her things in her school trunk for the final time. After making sure that everything was complete, she took the picture of her and Iris she got from her father's study the other day; it was now sitting in a lovely frame which she picked out at the store.

"I can't wait to show you this picture at school, Syrine. I wonder what excuse you'll make up again." Hermione whispered to herself as she placed the picture safely in her trunk.

 **A/N: Please R &R**


	18. Chapter 17: Secrets and a New Friend

**A/N: Well, life has been busy and sometimes even when you want to actually get things done, plans don't actually push through. So here is my long overdue update. I hope someone is still out there reading this.**

 **Chapter Notes: As you can see, I've skipped over the Quidditch World Cup. It went on like it was supposed to, you know, without the Death Eaters ruining it for everyone.**

Fourth year didn't turn out anything like Hermione planned it would be. Her initial plans about finding out the truth behind Syrine's identity were put on hold when the Triwizard tournament was to be conducted at Hogwarts that year. There were representatives from other magical schools such as Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, and everyone else was busy preparing for the event. It got unpleasant when Harry, of all people, suddenly got picked as the second Hogwarts champion aside from Cedric Diggory.

Majority of the Hogwarts students thought that the boy-who-lived did something to mess with the selection of champions; they branded Harry as a cheater and treated him as an outcast after the champions were announced. Everything got worse when even Ron accused Harry of cheating; at the moment Hermione was ready to blow her brains out because her two male best friends were still ignoring each other. It also didn't help that a student from Durmstrang named Viktor Krum kept on staring at her from afar when he thought that she wasn't paying attention.

Hermione felt quite drained because of the events happening all around Hogwarts, it also put a damper into her mood because she wasn't getting anywhere in her quest to find out the truth about a certain raven haired Slytherin who looked a lot like her dead twin. Syrine was now pretending that a Hermione Granger didn't exist in Hogwarts; despite having a few classes together, Syrine Lestrange was doing a great job in acting as if Hermione was invisible. It frustrated Hermione more because she now missed the times when Syrine was openly antagonizing her.

Hermione released another sigh as she dropped her head on her book as she took a break from reading in the library. It was then that she heard a familiar voice coming from behind one of the shelves in the library. It sounded awfully like the blonde Slytherin Syrine usually hung around him. He was talking to another person who remained a mystery to Hermione. Deciding to eavesdrop, she quietly casted a spell to muffle her footsteps and decided to come closer to Draco and his companion.

"Hey mate, can I ask you something a bit private?" Draco's companion asked.

Hermione heard Draco sigh, "What is it, Theo?"

So it was Theodore Nott who Draco was with. He was also a fellow 4th year in Slytherin.

"I know it's not my business to ask, but I was just curious. Am I correct to assume that you fancy Syrine?" Theo finished in one breath. He sounded a bit anxious.

Draco grinded his teeth, he was quite annoyed with his fellow snake's question. "Although I don't appreciate your interest in my private business, Nott. I will answer in the affirmative."

Theo swallowed nervously, it wasn't good when Draco started referring to him with his last name. "So it's true then. I know that your family is into marrying cousins and all, but isn't she your first cousin? Isn't that a bit too close?"

Hermione, who was still eavesdropping, decided to move a little closer. She was now able to peek at the two male Slytherins in the library. She noticed that Draco looked quite annoyed at Theo already.

"What's it to you, Nott?" Draco asked; his voice low.

"Aren't you even bothered? I know us purebloods are denying it, but inbreeding is actually a problem for us now. The squibs being birthed are increasing now; and father told me it's because of ..." Theo stopped speaking because Draco was already glaring at him like he wanted to wring his neck.

"I will tell you something about Syrine, but promise me that you will never tell another soul. Not even Syrine herself." Draco told Theo. Theo just responded with a nod.

Draco sighed; he ran his hands over his blonde hair and slumped on his chair. "Syrine doesn't know that I know, but she isn't really Aunt Bella and Uncle Rodolphus' child. I was quite young when she was brought to our house but I remember every detail of it. My mother just assumed that I was too young to remember any of it. I just pretend that I don't know the truth."

Theo looked shocked with Draco's revelation, "So, who is she?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know and i certainly don't care. I prefer that she stay a Lestrange so that I could stay by her side. Merlin knows that these are dangerous times, she needs all the protection she can get."

Theo looked pensive for a moment, "I'll keep your secret Draco."

"I know, Theo. I trust you." Draco told his friend sincerely.

Hermione's heart hammered in her chest as she realized the weight of the secret Draco just told Theo. Syrine Lestrange wasn't really the child of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. It was the type of proof she was looking for. She quickly returned to her seat and picked up her books, she was too excited to get any studying done anymore. She left the library in a hurry, determined to find another quiet place to plan out her next move. She needed to talk to Syrine, and she needed to do it as soon as she figured out a way to make her tell her the truth.

*HP*

Despite knowing the truth about Syrine's false parentage, Hermione was still not making any progress. But despite the setback; she still needed to be thankful for a few things since Harry and Ron were now talking to each other again after Harry's first task in the Triwizard tournament. Ron finally realized that Harry was involved in something quite dangerous and that his support was needed to give Harry the boost that he needed to be more confident about the whole ordeal.

Ever the loyal friend, Hermione was researching on how to help Harry figure out the clue for the second task for the tournament. She was again sitting at her favourite table in the library, researching on various types of magical eggs since the clue's form came in the shape of a large golden egg.

Hermione was in the library for an hour when she noticed someone take a seat beside her. She looked quite surprised to see Viktor Krum, looking down at her with a smile on his lips. Hermione swallowed nervously, she didn't know why the famous Bulgarian seeker was sitting beside her. She looked around to see if anyone was looking at their table, she was glad that it was still quite early and that nobody else was there.

"Yes, Mr. Krum?" Hermione asked him in a squeaky voice. She chastised herself silently for being so nervous.

Viktor Krum's smile became wider, "I am so happy that you know my name! I vas so nervous that you vould ignore me."

Hermione smiled at the Durmstrang champion, "Your Viktor Krum. Everybody knows you."

Viktor blushed at her words, "I vould still like to introduce myself." Viktor extended his hand towards Hermione, she slowly reached over her hands to shake it. She was quite shocked when Viktor didn't let go of her hand, instead he gently pulled Hermione's hand towards his lips and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. "I am Viktor Krum from Durmstrang. I am pleased to meet you, Ms. Granger."

Hermione was quite sure that if she looked like a ripe tomato right then and there. It was the first time that a member of the male population did that to her. Viktor was still gently holding her hand and looking at her expectantly.

"Call me Hermione." She said shyly.

Viktor finally let go of her hand and smiled sweetly at Hermione, "I hope that we can be good friends, Hermy-own-ninny."

*HP*

Over the next few days, Hermione and Krum were spending a lot of time together in the library. They built quite a close relationship ever since Viktor decided to approach her. Since Hermione didn't want to make a spectacle out of her and Viktor's surprising friendship, they usually sat at the very back of the library where the shelves shielded them from the other students visiting the library. Viktor also preferred the peace and quiet that he found in Hermione's presence, it was a break from the incessant fans who kept asking him about his Quidditch superstar lifestyle.

Hermione was on her way back to the Gryffindor tower from the library, she just came from another study session with Krum. She decided to take the long route to the tower since she wanted some time to reflect on the things that have been happening lately.

Hermione passed by one of the empty classrooms when she noticed that a female student was napping peacefully on the desk inside it. She was quite surprised to see that it was Syrine, the person who had been effectively avoiding her for weeks. She took a deep breath to calm herself as she approached her sleeping 'twin'. She slowly poked her behind her head to wake Syrine up. It took a while before Syrine reacted.

"Go away, Draco. I'm trying to sleep." Syrine grumbled, swatting away Hermione's hand.

Hermione grinned, "But I'm not Draco."

Upon hearing her voice, Syrine quickly looked up. For a fraction of a second, Syrine looked quite alarmed before her expression turned cold. Hermione smirked; she commended Syrine for being a great actress.

"What are you doing here, swot? I didn't know that one of your hobbies was to wake up people who were obviously trying to rest." Syrine said in an annoyed tone.

Hermione crossed her arms in front of herself and looked at Syrine seriously, "You've been avoiding me."

Syrine lips twisted into a malicious grin, "I don't remember us being friends you insufferable muggleborn."

"Stop the act." Hermione said. She was feeling quite annoyed since Syrine was being difficult to deal with. "We need to talk."

Syrine's eyes narrowed into slits. "Well, well, well...Just because Krummy Wummy decided to shower his attention on the Gryffindor swot now, you think you've got the right to talk me this way." Syrine stood up and stared at Hermione angrily.

"Hey-" Hermione started to protest as Syrine made the motion to leave her in the classroom. She grabbed Syrine's sleeve and pulled.

Syrine stopped and glared at Hermione, "Get your filthy hands off me." Hermione only tightened her grip on the Slytherin's sleeve.

"Now, Granger." Syrine's voice turned low.

"I said , we need to talk." Hermione told her, she was determined to force Syrine into a confrontation.

Syrine then gripped Hermione's wrist and forcefully shoved it away from her. "Look at you;" Syrine said in a condescending tone, "Just because Viktor Krum thinks you're pretty, you think you could do anything you want now. Before you command me to follow your orders, tell your boyfriend first to check his eyesight. Years of being a seeker may have damaged his eyes since he thinks you're so beautiful."

Hermione grinned at this, "You're funny."

"And why is that, swot?"

"If Viktor does think I'm pretty then you should be quite proud of yourself too." Hermione paused; she then narrowed her eyes at Syrine and said. "After all, we share the very same face.

One of Syrine's brows arched and she had this amused expression on her face, "Touché."

There was a quick moment when they both grinned at each other before Syrine decided that she was already being too chummy with Hermione. Without saying goodbye, Syrine left the room. Hermione made no motion to follow her. She decided that there would be another time for the truth to come out.

 **A/N: Once again, I am sorry for the late update. I can't promise you a** **regular update schedule in the following months since I am still swamped with work, but I can assure you that I will be updating from now on. If you see any typos, please inform me so that I can edit it after. Thank you. R &R.**


	19. Chapter 18: Yule Troubles

**A/N: Woohh, I was quite surprised that I got 2 reviews despite the length of time since I last posted an update. Thank you! I'm glad you're still on board ponystories!**

While Harry was still preoccupied and oblivious about what to do with the clue for the second task of the Triwizard tournament, Ron was bothering him about their current predicament, which was their lack of dates for the Yule ball. They were both lounging around in the Gryffindor common room, Ron was laying on one of the more comfortable couches while Harry was sitting on the rug in front of the fireplace, with the golden egg placed safely on his legs.

"So..." Ron started, "I'm thinking about asking Lavander or Parvati to the Yule ball. What do you think?"

Harry glanced at Ron with a funny look on his face, "If you are, do it soon. I heard Dean and Seamus talking about asking them too."

Ron looked queasy, "But what if they already said yes to Dean or Seamus?"

Harry chuckled at Ron, "You can always take Ginny with you."

Ron looked at Harry as if he grew another head, "I can't even believe you suggested that. I am not taking my sister to the ball. I'm not that desperate...Yet."

Harry chuckled, "Then go and ask one of them already. Look." He pointed towards the door of the dorms to the 4th year Gryffindor girls and out came Parvati. "There's your chance. Ask her already."

Ron started to look nervous, but he fisted and his hands and took a deep breath before he gave Harry a small nod.

"Good luck." Harry told Ron.

Ron slowly went to the bottom of the stairs to the dorms and waited for Parvati to come down. Harry couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Parvati was just smiling at Ron and nodding her head at times. It took a few minutes before they stopped talking, Ron waved at Parvati as he said goodbye and then went back to Harry. He sat on the floor beside Harry as he sported a large grin on his red face.

"I think it's safe to say that you got a date for the ball?" Harry asked.

Ron looked sheepishly at Harry and grinned. He was still blushing.

"My face feels warm." Ron said.

Harry chuckled, "Well, you look like a tomato."

The boys laughed and then fell silent after a while.

"Well, now that that's over. When are you going to ask Hermione to the dance?" Ron asked suddenly. It was now Harry's turn to blush.

"Wh-What are you saying?" Harry stuttered.

Ron narrowed his eyes at Harry, "I may often look like I don't know what I'm doing in most of our classes Harry, but I can certainly feel it when one of my closest mates fancies a bird."

Harry looked horror struck. "Don't tell Mione."

Ron chuckled, "Of course I won't. But you have to ask her to the ball already."

Harry sighed, "Well, I'd like to do that. But every time I'm about to ask her, my feet get cold and my hands start to sweat. "

Ron looked thoughtful for a moment, "I know what to do."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Leave it to me." Ron told Harry confidently, "I happen to be your best mate for a reason."

*HP*

Most students never bothered to wake up early to breakfast on Saturdays, but Hermione Granger was not like most students. At a quarter to seven, she was already in the Great Hall with a glass of pumpkin juice and a waffle on her plate. She ate slowly as she read in silence.

She got at least an hour of peace before Ron and Harry joined her.

"Well, you two are early." Hermione told her best friends.

Ron grinned at her while Harry looked a bit nervous. They took the seat in front of her. Ron instantly started piling food on his plate.

"What's going on? You two are never this early on weekends." Hermione observed. She put her book down on the table and stared worriedly at Harry and Ron. "Is there a problem?"

Ron chuckled, "Relax Mione."

Hermione huffed, she knew something was off. You don't stay best friends with boys without noticing subtle changes in their actions.

Ron swallowed a mouthful before he spoke again, "So, you know that the Triwizard champions need to bring a date to the Yule ball right?"

Hermione just nodded, Harry started looking more nervous.

"Well, Harry still doesn't have a date so I thought that you two could go together." Ron said with a smile.

Hermione sighed, "Oh, so that's why Harry looked nervous."

Harry laughed awkwardly but kept silent. He chastised his self for a moment, he had faced Voldemort a few times already but asking Hermione to the ball made him more nervous.

"I'd love to, b-"Hermione started.

"Great-" Ron also started to say.

"But I'm already going with someone else already. " Hermione finished.

The table fell silent. Ron looked like he was still processing the fact that Hermione just said that she already had a date.

"W-what? How could that happen?!" Ron blurted out. He looked a bit miffed.

"Ron-" Harry tried stopping him before he said anything else.

"Who on earth would ask you on a date?!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her ginger-haired best friend, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Ron-" Harry said again, trying to prevent Ron from saying anything else.

"You're the Gryffindor bookworm! You- you're Hermione!" Ron said, he still looked quite disbelievingly at Hermione. "Nobody else is supposed to ask you!"

Hermione crossed her arms in front of her and huffed, "Correct me if I'm wrong Ronald, but are you trying to tell me that you find it so shocking that someone actually asked me out to the ball. I know that I'm not that attractive, Ron, but you don't have to be so obvious about it!"

"Hermione, you're wrong. You are attractive!" Harry exclaimed.

Hermione sighed, "Thank you for trying to make me feel better Harry, but Ron obviously thinks that it's impossible for the Gryffindor BOOKWORM to get a date."

"But who would ask you? Does this bloke have impaired eye sight or something?" Ron asked suddenly.

There was silence for a while before the trio heard someone snickering. Hermione turned to look at who was laughing and saw that Draco and Syrine were at the Slytherin table having breakfast. Syrine acted as if she had not heard what Ron said, while Draco looked as if he was having the time of his life.

"That's it!" Hermione shouted. She stood up suddenly and slammed her hands on the table. "I will not take being insulted by the likes of you anymore. " Hermione straightened herself and nodded at Harry, "I'm sorry that I can't go with you to the ball, Harry. I'm leaving now; I don't want to eat in front of a boy who thinks that chewing with his mouth open is the least bit attractive."

"I'm sorry about that, but I do think you're attractive Mione." Harry said.

Hermione blushed, "I-I'm leaving." She grabbed the book she left on the table and then quickly exited the great hall.

"Well, that went well." Ron said sarcastically.

"You don't say." Harry sighed.

*HP*

Hermione returned the Gryffindor tower and cooped herself up inside their dorms so that Harry and Ron won't be able to talk to her for a while. Although she was only mad at Ron, Hermione couldn't face Harry without blushing after he said that he thought that she was attractive. She decided that it would be best to calmed down before she faced her two best friends again.

It wasn't long before Hermione fell asleep on her bed, and started to have vivid dreams again. Hermione was again in the body of the little Hermione Granger, she was looking at herself while facing a mirror. She looked around and saw that she was inside Iris' room. Iris was on the edge of her bed, while rummaging through a small chest filled with small knickknacks.

"Iris?" Hermione heard herself ask in a small voice.

Iris looked up at her and looked curious, "What is it, pet?"

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror again and sighed; Iris looked concerned and got off her bed. She had a wide brush in her hand as she approached Hermione.

"Do you think I'm ugly?" Hermione asked worriedly.

Iris looked at Hermione concern, "Did something happen?"

Hermione hesitated answering for a bit before she decided to respond, "I was with daddy last time when he visited the muggle village, there was this boy and he was pulling on my hair when daddy was busy talking with a shop owner."

Iris frowned, "What did the boy do?"

Hermione sighed, "Well, I told him to get away from me and I pushed him to the ground and he landed on his bum. He got mad and called me an ugly mop before he ran away."

Iris looked amused now; she started gathering Hermione's curly hair in her small hands and started to brush it.

"Boys are bullies." Iris told her, "You should know better than to believe boys."

Hermione still looked unsure, "You're just saying that because we're twins. If he calls me ugly then you are too!"

Iris giggled, "But we're not ugly. Mommy and daddy both say that we're beautiful princesses."

Iris looked at Hermione carefully and saw that she still wasn't convinced; she stopped brushing Hermione's hair and placed her small hands on Hermione's drooping shoulders.

"Look at me, pet." Iris gently told Hermione. Their eyes met as they both looked at each other on the mirror. "You're beautiful. Don't ever forget that."

Hermione's vision started to get hazy as she felt herself slowly wake up from the dream. She felt a stray tear running across her cheek as she remembered her dream. Her chest hurt a bit as she realized how much she loved her sister, and that years were taken away from because of a tragedy.

Hermione stayed on her bed for a while, replaying the dream in her mind over and over again before a soft little hoot caught her attention. She left her bed and saw that there was a tiny owl waiting for her near the window. The owl was a mix of white and black feathers and looked quite regal. She approached the owl and saw that it had brought her a small package wrapped in Manila paper. It had her name written on it.

Once Hermione took the package, the little owl flew away. She carefully examined the package and tested a few spells on it to make sure that it wasn't anything suspicious. Upon realizing that it didn't have anything suspicious in it, she finally opened the package. It was a small velvet coloured jewellery box. She slowly lifted the lid and she saw a beautiful pearl necklace inside it. The chain was made from a string of pearls, and the pendant was a fairly large tear shaped pearl with a silver accent.

"It's beautiful." Hermione whispered as she fingered the necklace in the box. It was then that she noticed a small note attached to the box.

 _For the Yule Ball._

 _You're beautiful. Don't ever forget that._

The note wasn't signed, but Hermione didn't need to see it to know who the necklace was from.

 **A/N: Are you still there? What do you think?**


	20. Chapter 19: Belle of the Ball

**A/N: We're now at 36 reviews and I can't believe it! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story of mine. To Lyra Riddle, I know why that you're feeling that the plot's going a bit fast but I can assure you that this little story still has a long way to go, I foresee at least a few chapters short of 40. To Atruepotterhead, Leti2a and Eyeris, thanks for the support! I hope I don't disappoint you!**

The elegant pearl necklace hung perfectly around Hermione's neck as she checked herself in front of the floor length mirror inside their dorm room. She ran her fingers across the pearls and smiled at her reflection. The necklace accented her elegant periwinkle dress robes perfectly; it almost seemed as if the sender knew what dress she already picked to wear for the ball. She made a few more adjustments to her hair which was now sleek due to a wonder potion she ordered from Hogsmeade, it was twisted up into an elegant know at the back of her head. With one final look at herself in the mirror, she finally exited the dorms.

Hermione slowly made her way to the Great Hall; she told Viktor that it was better for them to meet up near the doors instead of having him pick her up at the dorms. It was Hermione's way of lessening the murmurs and shocked faces that would certainly occur once they saw the Gryffindor bookworm together with the Bulgarian quidditch superstar.

As Hermione came closer to the large doors of the Great Hall, she saw Harry and Ron there, both boys were still waiting for their dates to arrive. Hermione was a bit glad that Parvati's twin sister, Padma, who was in Ravenclaw was still available. At least she didn't feel too guilty that Harry didn't have a date because she was already taken.

Ron and Harry were busy talking to each other when Hermione finally descended the steps. "Hey boys," Hermione greeted her two best friends as she waited for them to face her.

Ron was the first one to turn and he had the funniest reaction on his face when he saw Hermione. Harry, not knowing the reason for Ron's weird behaviour, also turned to look at Hermione. While Ron's mouth was still hanging open in shock, Harry felt as if the wind got knocked out of him.

"Hermione?" Ron asked, he was almost unsure if the pretty brown haired girl in front of them was the female member of the golden trio.

Harry finally remembered to speak, "You look beautiful, Mione" His cheeks stained pink as he gave Hermione a compliment. Hermione grinned at him, her cheeks also a bit flushed.

Ron still stared at her as if he couldn't reconcile the Hermione he knew to the Hermione standing before him. Harry elbowed him to get his attention.

"Ron, didn't you have something to say to Hermione?" Harry reminded his ginger friend.

Ron nodded upon getting his wits back, "Y-yeah, look Mione, I'm so-"

Before he could finish, Viktor Krum suddenly arrived cut between Ron and Harry.

"Hermy-own-ninny, I vould like to apologize for being a bit late. The headmaster wanted to talk to me before I vent to the ball." Viktor apologized to Hermione as he took her hand and placed a chaste kiss at the back of it.

Harry's expression was a mix of shock and hurt while Ron's face was getting redder by the second. Hermione almost wanted to explain but Professor McGonagall finally arrived together with the rest of the school heads.

"Champions! Please prepare yourselves together with your partners! The ball is about to begin!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed as she started checking if all of the Triwizard champions were there with their partners.

As Viktor guided Hermione towards the assembly, Padma finally arrived together with Parvati. She quickly noticed the somber look on Harry's face. She noticed that he was still looking longingly at Hermione while she talked with Viktor.

"Is that Hermione Granger? She certainly cleans up well." Padma said as she returned her gaze at Harry.

Harry seemed to ignore Padma's observation and finally turned his attention to his date, he gave her a wry smile. "Thank you for accompanying me Padma."

"It's my pleasure, Harry." Padma replied with a smile. Despite not having a close relationship with the boy who lived, Padma could clearly feel Harry's longing for the only female member of the golden trio.

*HP*

Hermione had quite a lot of fun dancing with Viktor Krum during the duration of the Yule Ball, the Durmstrang champion was quite the gentleman and he treated the Gryffindor bookworm like a pampered princess all through the night, much to the dismay of plenty of the other female attendees of the ball. Still, true to the Hermione Granger fashion, Hermione still made it her mission to observe her mysterious twin while the latter was dancing with Draco Malfoy and a handful of other Slytherin boys including Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini.

Hermione thought that Syrine Lestrange looked enchanting in her emerald green dress robes. She noticed that her Slytherin doppelganger was a simple lady due to the simplistic jewellery she adorned, but nonetheless, she looked every bit of the aristocratic pureblood royalty that she was. Hermione smiled to herself as she remembered the pearl necklace that she received from the 'mysterious' sender, she found it quite amusing that even the sender was confused on how to express her feelings about the depth of their relationship.

Feeling a bit tired, Hermione excused herself from her date and approached the refreshments table. She was about to get herself a glass of punch when somebody grabbed her wrist, she was surprised to see that it was Syrine who stopped her.

"The punch is spiked with strong alcohol. Don't drink it." Syrine warned her.

Hermione nodded and lowered her hand, "Thank you, I'll be sure to tell one of the professors."

Syrine replied with a curt nod and turned to leave when Hermione called her again, "Wait."

The Slytherin turned towards Hermione with one of her brows raised. "Yes?". The expression on her face amused the Gryffindor.

Hermione grinned, "Thank you for the gift."

Syrine frowned, "I don't know what you're talking about."

The grin on the Gryffindor's face even became wider, "Sure you don't." And with that final statement, Hermione left Syrine at the refreshments table and proceeded to look for a professor to inform them about the punch.

 **A/N: So there, tbh I wasn't exactly pleased with how this chapter turned out because I planned it out differently in my head but it sort of took a life of its own and wrote itself.**

 **Just to give a heads up, this story will be erratically updated due to the fact that I will soon be busy again planning for my wedding. But no worries, I will continue to write this fic until it's completed.**


	21. Chapter 20: Hell's Door

**A/N: Wow, 40 reviews, 34 favs and 86 follows. You people are spoiling me too much but I love it! Thank you!**

The second Triwizard task was not something that Hermione would want to do ever again. She did not enjoy being tied up by mermaids at the bottom of the Black Lake, and more so, she did not want to get saved again by a famous Bulgarian seeker who knew how to transfigure himself into a weird looking shark. The image of Krum swimming in the lake with those sharp teeth was the stuff that nightmares were made of.

Unfortunately for the golden trio, the third task was already looming over them. Hermione was feeling stressed out because aside from being worried for Harry's safety, Ron was acting like a prat and was completely ignoring her because she went out with Krum. Hermione wasn't planning on apologizing to Ron for that, she knew that Ron was again being his unreasonable self.

The night before the third task, Harry and Hermione were sitting by themselves in the common room at a particular late hour. Most students were already asleep, and Ron was most like snoring in his own bed in the boy's dormitories.

"Final task's tomorrow Harry." Hermione said softly.

"Yeah, I honestly don't care if I win Hermione. I just want to get things over with." Harry confessed, a frown marring his face.

Hermione nodded, "I know how you feel and I'm not even in the tournament."

"Hermione, can you keep a secret?" Harry asked looking worried.

Hermione scooted closer to Harry, "Of course Harry. What is it?"

Harry sighed, "I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, but I think something bad is going to happen tomorrow. Do you think I'm crazy?"

Hermione looked worried, "Is it your scar? Is it hurting again?"

Harry just gave her a curt nod.

Feeling a bit bold, Hermione gave Harry a hug and tried to comfort him, "I just hope you're wrong. But still-" she paused as she looked straight into Harry's emerald eyes, "Be careful tomorrow Harry. Constant vigilance."

Harry chuckled, "Moody, is that you?"

Hermione pretended to look offended, "Hey! I'm just trying to be a good friend here."

This made Harry laugh, "I can always really count on you to make me feel better, Mione. Thank you."

A blush slowly crept into Hermione's cheeks, "Well, I am your best friend for a reason Harry."

Harry just gave her a sweet smile, "You're more than that to me."

There was silence after Harry uttered those words. The two best friends just stared at each other awkwardly until Harry, who was looking a bit flustered, decided to stand up,. "I'm going to bed, Mione. You should go to sleep too!" Harry waved goodbye and quickly went up the stairs towards the boys' dorm.

Hermione kept silent while she stared at Harry's back as he retreated to his dorm. She didn't know what to say when her stomach felt like a hyperactive pygmy puff was bouncing inside of it.

*HP*

It had already been a few hours since the final Triwizard task had started. The audience in the stands were feeling a bit put out since they weren't able to really observe what was happening inside the maze made of hedges. But despite the lack of visual, the atmosphere around the grounds was feeling quite ominous.

"I hope Harry wins." Ron said excitedly.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. She felt a bit better when Ron decided to talk to her again but she was still a bit miffed because he didn't even apologize for ignoring her in the first place.

"Just be happy that Harry finishes the task without hurting himself." Hermione admonished him. Ron wasn't helping her calm down.

Ron just grinned, "Oh come on Mione. You do know that Harry is just a few points away from Diggory."

"Of course I know." Hermione replied, "I just want him to be safe."

Again, they waited for any signs of movement inside the hedge. A quarter of an hour passed when Hermione spotted Syrine and Draco in the crowd, she didn't know why but the two Slytherins were looking quite apprehensive.

 _Something was wrong._ Hermione thought. There was a feeling of dread which slowly surrounded Hermione. The Slytherins knew that there was something bad about to happen. Just when Hermione was about to leave her place beside Ron; there was a commotion at the hedges.

Someone gave a horrified shriek, Hermione and Ron quickly came closer to where the crowd was gathering. When Hermione was able to go down to the grounds, what she saw shook her to the core.

Harry was clutching Cedric Diggory's lifeless body while his other hand was still clutching the Triwizard cup. He was badly bruised and bleeding, and he looked as if somebody had just tried to kill him. The boy who lived was visibly crying as if he had just experienced the most horrendous night of his life.

Hermione and Ron pushed their way to the crowd to reach Harry, but before he could go to him, Dumbledore was already there.

"What happened, Harry?" The Headmaster inquired at once.

Harry looked tearfully at Dumbledore, "He's back, Professor. He's back and he killed Cedric."

The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge looked at Harry as if he was crazy, "Who is back Mr. Potter?!"

Harry turned to look at the Minister and he stared at him as if he was reliving a nightmare.

"Is he really back, Harry?" Dumbledore asked seriously as he slowly kneeled beside Harry and Cedric Diggory's corpse.

"Voldemort is back, sir. And he finally has a body."

*HP*

Syrine Lestrange and Draco Malfoy were looking at the growing crowd gathering around the boy who lived and the now deceased Hogwarts champion from Hufflepuff. Of all the people gathered in the area at that moment, only the two of them along with Harry Potter, knew what had just transpired.

Despite the calmness of the expression on Syrine's face, she was already feeling quite scared. It was like a pit had opened itself inside her stomach and was draining all the happiness she had ever felt in her miserable life.

"He's back." Draco said, his voice was hoarse as if saying those words had already caused him pain.

Syrine dropped her calm act and looked fearfully at Draco, "I hoped this day would never come."

Draco looked forlorn as he thought about what was to come, but he worried more because of the state Syrine was in. He knew that Syrine always tried her best to appear strong, but as he looked at her, his heart broke a little as he realized how scared she was.

"All hell is about to break loose, Draco." Syrine whispered.

Draco slowly took hold of Syrine's shaking hand and interlaced his fingers with hers, "If hell is about to break loose, then I'll burn in it together with you."

 **A/N: Voldemort is back! I didn't want to kill Cedric in my story but it had to be done. Please do inform me if I have any typos or if there are any phrases/sentences which bother you. I'm writing as the ideas pop up into my head so I may have made a few mistakes here and there.**

 **Once again, thank you for your continuous support and please enjoy the update and tell me what you think.**


	22. Chapter 21: Mask

**A/N: An update? So soon?**

The start of the golden trio's fifth year was not as good as their previous ones. Harry was bearing the worst of its brunt since the ministry decided that he was a liar and was refusing to believe that You-Know-Who has finally returned. It was now a common sight for people to whisper behind their backs whenever Harry walked passed them. Being branded a liar did not sit well with the boy who lived, and he was feeling more agitated as each day passed.

Ever the loyal friends, Hermione and Ron showed their full support for Harry. They knew the truth. Voldemort was indeed back, and the sooner that everyone accepted that fact, the sooner that they would be able to prepare themselves.

It was no surprise that the ministry had finally taken a step to try and quash the rumors that Voldemort has finally returned. A frilly toad-looking woman named Dolores Umbridge was appointed by the ministry to be the school's new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Umbridge was an evil woman, she despised half-breeds and wasn't the least bit ashamed of branding Harry as a chronic liar. She also had the nasty habit of letting students write lines while using cursed quills that hurt its user whenever she issued a detention, and that wasn't even the worst of it all. With the full support of the ministry, Umbridge refused to let her students practice any form of defensive magic because she fully believed that they had no use for practical lessons since Voldemort wasn't really back. This left the students quite defenceless if they happen to get attacked outside Hogwarts' walls.

As the brains behind the golden trio, Hermione decided to rebel against the ministry by creating a small group composed of trustworthy Hogwarts students from different years and houses. The group, which fondly called itself as Dumbledore's army or DA for short, were to regularly meet in a secret room called the Room of Requirement located inside the castle to practice defensive spells and other useful forms of magic.

Lacking the leadership quality to fully manage the small group, Hermione decided that it was best for all of them if Harry took up the mantle of being their leader. Although a bit reluctant at first, Harry warmed up to the idea and was fast becoming an excellent teacher towards the members of their group. With his innate talent to lead, even Neville, who was a bit weak when it came to learning more difficult spells, was now able to effectively disarm an opponent.

After a particularly successful DA session which involved learning how to defeat Boggarts, Hermione was feeling quite pleased for herself as she slowly walked through the dark corridors as she made her way to Gryffindor tower. She was happy that she was helping other students like herself learn how to at least protect themselves from an attack.

Hermione passed by one of the empty classrooms when she was suddenly pulled inside it by an unknown assailant. She heard a quick _Silencio_ being cast upon her and she was dragged to sit on a chair in the middle of the room. It was dark but the one who had taken her inside quickly relieved her of her wand kept her at her seat,

"W-who are you?! Show yourself!" Hermione mouthed, no sounds were coming out.

A familiar voice finally spoke, "I'll take off the spell if you promise not to shout like a banshee. Nod if you understand."

Hermione calmed down a bit; it was Syrine who pulled her inside. She took another deep breath before she gave Syrine a nod.

The spell was taken off of her at once and the lights in the room finally turned on. Hermione saw Syrine sitting on top of the teacher's desk. The Slytherin was staring at her with an annoyed expression on her face.

"What now? Is there a reason why you just dragged me in here? Or did you just miss me?" Hermione asked. She was feeling a bit glad that Syrine was the one who approached her; the Slytherin had been avoiding her again since the final Triwizard task during their fourth year.

Syrine stood up and slowly walked towards Hermione, "Do you think you're so smart, swot? Practicing spells in a hidden room? Teaching some students a few spells so that they'd think they can defend themselves?"

Syrine's tone was cold; she clearly wasn't amused that Hermione was responsible for the DA. Hermione frowned at her 'twin' and said, "At least I'm doing something to help. You know that Voldemort is back, don't pretend that he isn't. "

"Do you honestly think that learning how to cast _Riddikulus_ would help any of those students?!" Syrine asked hotly.

Hermione was a bit shocked that Syrine knew what they were just practicing a while ago, "How did you know about that?!"

Syrine scoffed, "Fatbottom has been repeating the incantation over and over again when I saw him a while ago. You Gryffindors should really learn how to keep yourselves hidden."

Upon hearing Syrine's answer, Hermione fell silent for a while. She should have told the other members to be careful when they were outside the Room of Requirement.

Syrine took a chair from the side and placed it in front of her Hermione. She then took her seat and stared at Hermione again.

"Stop the secret meetings at once, Granger. Your hard-headedness will only get you in trouble, or worse, killed." Syrine warned her as she crossed her arms in front of herself.

"I can't. A lot of students are counting on the DA for help. Umbridge is certainly not doing anything about helping us protect ourselves." Hermione said confidently.

Syrine rolled her eyes at Hermione, "I thought you were supposed to be bright, Granger! But I'm disappointed that you aren't even thinking clearly!"

"What do you mean? Don't insult me!" Hermione scoffed, clearly looking offended.

Syrine leaned over to Hermione; she stared straight into the Gryffindor's eyes as she said, "No amount of silly defensive spells you learn in that room will protect you from Deatheaters or the Dark Lord, Granger. When they decide to attack you, and they will, they won't be using silly stunning or disarming spells. They are called Deatheaters for a reason, Granger. They aim to kill."

Hermione was rendered speechless for a moment; she looked at her doppelganger closely and finally realized how different they actually were. While Hermione grew up in a loving household, Syrine grew up in a place where Deatheaters were the norm.

"A little knowledge can go a long way, Syrine." Hermione muttered.

Syrine looked angrier by the minute, "A little knowledge can get you killed! You should stop that little group of yours at once, Granger. You are giving those children a false sense of security. Did you even think of what would happen to Longbottom if he encountered a Deatheater? He wouldn't last a second."

"How would you know?!" Hermione asked angrily.

Syrine narrowed her eyes at Hermione, "Does my name not mean anything to you?! I am a Lestrange! Both my parents are part of the Dark Lord's inner circle. I didn't think that you were this daft!"

Hermione sighed, "But you're not."

"I'm not what?"

"You're not a Lestrange. I know who you are, Syrine."

Syrine shook her head and sighed, "You don't know anything." The Slytherin finally stood up and made her way to the door.

"Why can't you just be honest with yourself for once, Syrine?" Hermione finally asked. "I already know who you are!"

Syrine turned to face Hermione, a sad expression on her face. "I am a Lestrange, Granger. The sooner you accept that, the better."

And then she left.

 **A/N: I feel so sad. Please tell me what you think.**


	23. Chapter 22: Ire

**A/N: I am now actually at work writing this since I don't have any time to write when I'm at home. Thanks for being such lovely readers, you are the kindest people and I love all of you.**

 **As you've noticed, although I follow the timeline at times, I also shift it a lot. So you'll probably notice that a lot of the events here don't usually happen in the order that it did with the books.**

The Great Hall was just starting to fill up with students when a loud rumble could be heard from outside. The weather was quite bad and it seemed as if a thunderstorm was just about to occur. Most of the students thought that the weather suited the mood of the entire castle since it wasn't such a joyous place anymore due to the presence of Umbridge in the castle.

The golden trio were having breakfast at the Gryffindor table. Harry and Ron still looked like they just got out of bed while Hermione was the only one who looked put together. They were quietly taking their meals because no one was in a chatty mood due to the overall atmosphere surrounding Hogwarts.

A few minutes later, the owls started swooping in to deliver the daily mail. A large brown barn owl landed near Hermione, it carried the day's edition of the Prophet. Hermione placed her payment on the pouch that it carried and gave the owl a treat before it flew away. She didn't open the patient for a while since she wanted to finish eating breakfast at first.

It was then that Neville arrived and sat beside the trio, he was looking a bit happy at the moment since he had been performing well in the lessons provided during DA meetings.

"Good morning, everyone." Neville greeted as he flopped down beside Hermione.

"Morning Nev." Harry greeted as he finished chewing his food.

Neville started to fill his plate with food when he spotted Hermione's news paper, "Hey, would you mind if I read your paper first, Hermione?"

"Sure." Hermione replied with a smile.

Neville started to unroll the paper, "You know, I really should get a daily-"

The trio looked at Neville as he suddenly choked on his words; they were quite concerned when their close friend looked as white as a ghost.

"What's wrong, Neville?" Ron asked while he was still chewing his food.

Glimpsing the headline that was on the paper, Hermione slowly took the paper from Neville's hands and started to read it.

 _Mass Breakout in Azkaban_

 _As of last night, another breakout has occurred in Azkaban, a prison once famed to be inescapable and impenetrable. Bellatrix Lestrange, a high ranking deatheater during You-Know-Who's reign of terror, escaped along with her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, her brother-in-law Rabastan Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov and Ignacius Avery. It is believed that Sirius Black, who up till now is still at large after his escape from Azkaban 2 years ago, helped his fellow deatheaters escape._

 _The Ministry's top Aurors are now actively searching for the whereabouts of these highly dangerous fugitives. The Ministry urges to public to keep their eyes open and report at once if they see any suspicious activity._

Hermione put down the newspaper and stared at Harry and Ron; Ron grabbed the paper and started reading the article together with Harry.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron cursed as he finished reading the article.

Neville seemed to snap out of shock, "Harry?"

"Yes Neville?" Harry replied.

Neville's tone was filled with strength and determination, "We should increase our DA meetings as soon as possible. These are dangerous times."

Harry almost doubted if he was talking with the same chubby little boy he met when they were first years, the Neville in front of him already seemed to be a different person. He just answered with a curt nod, "Always bring the coin with you."

Neville nodded at Harry and left the Gryffindor table, it seemed as if he had already lost his appetite for breakfast.

Harry looked at Hermione who now had her attention on a different house table, he also noticed that majority of the students from other houses were also staring somewhere else. He followed their gaze and found that they were staring at the Slytherin table. They all had their eyes glued to Syrine Lestrange, who was quietly eating her breakfast. She had a calm expression on her face, almost as if she wasn't aware of the recent escape.

The Great Hall was quiet until a quiet girl from Hufflepuff stood up; she was clutching her own copy of the Daily Prophet as she walked towards the Slytherin table. She stopped in front of Syrine who continued to eat

The Hufflepuff threw the newspaper at the Slytherin table with a force. Syrine pretended that there wasn't an irate Hufflepuff glowering at her from across the table. It was Draco who seemed quite offended; he was staring daggers at the angry puff.

"How does it feel, Lestrange? I bet you're rejoicing inside now that you're about to be united with your parents. I wonder how you're going to celebrate. Are you going to murder whole family again while desecrating their corpses?!" The Hufflepuff shouted.

"How dare y-" Draco started to say when Syrine silenced him with a single look.

Syrine looked at the Hufflepuff and sneered, "You guessed correctly. Care to join us? I promise you'll have a lot of fun."

The Hufflepuff grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice on the table and splashed its contents all over Syrine. Some of the other students gasped at Hufflepuff's audacity to offend the Slytherin Princess.

"Murderers! I hope you and your family all rot in hell!" The Hufflepuff shouted.

Syrine stared straight into the Hufflepuff's eyes and coldly said, "What makes you think that we're not already in it?"

It was then Professor Pomona Sprout arrived, she put her hand on her student's shoulder and said, "Ms. Bones, that is quite enough. 20 points from Hufflepuff for assaulting a fellow student. You have detention with me every night for a week."

"But professor, did you hear-"

"Susan, enough." Professor Sprout repeated. Susan Bones finally stopped, it was quite known in their house that whenever their head finally called them by their first name, it was time to do what was told or they would suffer dire consequences.

"I'm sorry Professor." Susan said to her head of house.

"Don't apologize to me, dear." Said Professor Sprout. "It is Ms. Lestrange whom you've offended."

Susan looked at Syrine and glared at her again, "Over my-"

"Don't bother. I've lost my appetite anyway." Syrine calmly said as she stood up. She didn't wait for any more reactions from Susan and Professor Sprout, as she finally decided to leave the Great Hall. Draco, who was looking very concerned, followed suit.

Once the two prominent Slytherins were finally out of the Great Hall, the students erupted in noisy chatters, conversing about the incident that just occurred.

"I wonder why Susan got angry like that. She's usually calm and collected." Harry said as he looked a bit worried at Hermione. He knew that the incident didn't sit well with the only female member of the golden trio.

Ron looked a bit sad, "Her family was murdered by You-Know-Who. Rumour is that some of his followers tortured them before they were killed."

"That's horrible!" Hermione replied with a shocked face.

"They're Deatheaters. That's what they do Hermione." Ron said seriously. Hermione flinched as she remembered similar words coming from her 'twin'.

"Hermione, you should research a few spells that are a bit more advanced. We'll do them for the DA meeting." Harry said. He had a gloomy look on his face.

"Of course, I'll do it at once after I get a free period." Hermione agreed immediately.

"I don't think basic defensive spells are gonna help us at all." Harry murmured.

Ron and Hermione couldn't help but agree.

*HP*

Syrine was on Hermione's mind ever since the incident that happened that morning in the Great Hall. She tried to sleep early so that she could put her mind to rest but she couldn't even get a decent night's rest. Feeling a bit rebellious, she decided to go to the boy's dorm to look for Harry.

"Hey Harry?" Hermione whispered as she stood beside Harry's bed.

Harry replied with a groan and slowly got up, "What is it, Mione?"

"Can I borrow your cloak for a while? I'm going to go and get some fresh air. I can't sleep."

Harry crawled to his trunk and took out the invisibility cloak they used frequently. "Would you like me to come with you?"

Hermione shook her head, "I'll be fine. Go and sleep."

Harry nodded reluctantly, "Be safe."

"I will."

Hermione quietly left the boy's dorm and exited the Gryffindor common room while under the cloak. She made her way to the Astronomy tower to get some fresh air and to think about the events that were unfolding in their fifth year.

As she reached the tower, she was surprised that somebody was already there.

"Syrine?" Hermione whispered.

The Slytherin was caught off guard; she turned to Hermione with a surprised look on her face. It took her only a few seconds to put her cool and collected mask back on.

"Are you stalking me now, Granger?" Syrine asked coldly.

Hermione approached the Slytherin and stopped as they were side by side.

"Coincidence. I couldn't sleep. I didn't expect you'd be here." Hermione replied. She looked worriedly at Syrine and sighed.

"What?" Syrine asked irritably.

"Are you okay?"

Syrine's eyes widened, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"This morning-"

The Slytherin narrowed her eyes at Hermione, "Stop. I told you before; we're not friends, Granger. What happened a while ago is not any of your business."

Hermione clicked her tongue, "I was worried and here you are-"

"What Bones did was something I expected. I'm sure plenty of other students here feel that way, Granger."

"But-"

"I was actually surprised that Longbottom didn't do the same." Syrine mused.

"What has Neville got to do with anything?" The Gryffindor asked.

"Neville's parents were tortured to insanity by my parents. Imagine what he felt when he saw that my dear mum and dad escaped from Azkaban." Syrine said in an almost distant voice.

Hermione gasped, "B-but, that's awful!"

"My parents are Deatheaters. That is what they do."

"Stop calling them that!"

"Calling them what? Deatheaters?" Syrine asked looking confused.

"They're not your parents!" Hermione shouted at Syrine angrily.

At this, Syrine chuckled. "I don't know how you've deluded yourself to believe otherwise." The Slytherin then yawned, "I'm getting pretty tired, Granger. I'll be leaving first."

Syrine took a step away, Hermione didn't want her to leave at that moment and so she grabbed her shoulder to keep the Slytherin from leaving. At the moment Hermione touched Syrine's bare skin, a mild jolt of electricity shocked Hermione's hand and she quickly let go.

The Slytherin glared at her, "Don't ever do that again."

"Syrine- Whatever is stopping you from telling me who you really are; you can tell me what it is. I'll find a way to help you." Hermione pleaded.

A pained look flashed across Syrine's face but it quickly disappeared, she replaced it with a sneer. "I don't know what you've led yourself to believe, but I am telling you know that you are wrong."

Syrine took another step and tried to leave when Hermione decided to take her chances.

"Iris-"

Syrine quickly froze.

"I know it's you."

When the Slytherin turned to face Hermione again, she had a murderous look on her face. For a moment, Hermione even felt a bit scared.

"Don't." Syrine said coldly, "Ever call me that name again."

Gathering up her Gryffindor courage, Hermione spoke again. "I am not a fool. I know you're my sister!"

Syrine chuckled, but it was a humourless laugh, it was almost mocking. "Your sister died when she was little, Granger. First, she was abandoned and then burned to a crisp."

 **A/N: So, comments? I'd love to hear from you.**


	24. Chapter 23: Memories of the Lost

**A/N: Sorry about the late update, wedding planning is not easy. But at least, I got married recently so that's done. I don't know if I can give you guys a schedule for a regular update since I don't have an internet connection in the house we moved into yet. But as soon as things get back on track, I promise that updates will come frequently.**

Hermione tossed and turned on her bed as she slept restlessly on her bed. Her dreams were filled with visions of buildings burning while a familiar female voice cackled in the background. Her dreams were unclear at first, until she finally found herself among the ruins of a burnt building.

She felt ill at ease at the ruins surrounding her; a chill ran up her spine as she surveyed the burnt wood and debris surrounding her. It was all too familiar; it almost seemed as if she had been there before.

Just then, she heard footsteps. The hairs at the back of her neck stood up as she heard the familiar voice that plagued her in her nightmares before.

"Pity. It was such a beautiful manor." A male voice said coldly.

Hermione turned slowly towards the voice, her feet were suddenly frozen in fear. The two people who were walking amongst the debris were the younger version of the infamous Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange. She recognized them from the pictures published in the daily prophet.

The younger version of Bellatrix snorted, "That's what you get for defying the Dark Lord. I didn't really like them anyway; they were too weak for the cause."

"Still, they were purebloods of the finest quality." Rodolphus argued lazily.

"Blacks are the purebloods of the finest quality. You should even be thankful that you got to marry me." Bellatrix said confidently with an ugly sneer on her face.

An unpleasant look passed over Rodolphus' face quickly, ""Of course, dear. I do feel quite – thankful."

The Lestranges were walking just a few feet from where Hermione was standing; the Gryffindor almost forgot that she was in a dream, she almost wished she had somewhere to hide in. It was really a terrifying experience to be in the presence of two of the most terrifying deatheaters in magical history.

The moment the Lestranges passed by Hermione without them seeing her, the Gryffindor finally felt a bit better knowing that what she was seeing was still a dream. She watched as Bellatrix levitated a few pieces of larger debris and threw it a few feet away.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing, Bella?" Rodolpus asked looking annoyed, "Everything is already destroyed."

Bella shushed him with her hand, "I can hear something moving."

Rodolphus continued to watch Bellatrix levitate more and more pieces of burnt wood until she suddenly stopped. She quickly approached a specific spot and sneered.

"What is it, Bella?" Rodolphus asked looking quite curious.

"I think it's about time we had a child, dear." She said in a sickeningly sweet tone it almost made Rodolous cringe.

"W-what?", Rodolphus asked while he looked a bit disgusted.

"Come here, husband. I have a pleasant surprise for you." Bellatrix said as she kept staring at the same spot on the debris.

Hermione's heart beat violently in her chest as she heard what Bellatrix said. She watched as Rodolphus came to where Bellatrix was standing and he gasped.

"Is that?!"

Bellatrix cackled, "What do you think, dear? Are you ready to be a father?"

With dread in her heart, Hermione quickly approached the Lestranges. As she finally reached them, what she saw in the ruins, shook her to her very core. Buried in the pile of burnt wood was the severely charred body of her twin sister, Iris. Hermione could almost see some pieces of her bone protruding due to the severity of the burns. She should have been dead already, but the arduous rise and fall of her chest clearly showed that she was still alive. Barely.

Rodolphus looked curiously at Bella, "The fiendfyre should have killed this child. Why is _it_ still alive?"

There was a manic gleam in Bella's eyes, "A witch or wizard's ability to survive shows their strong aptitude for magic. Don't you see, Rodolphus? The fact that this child remains alive means that she has very strong magic in her blood."

Rodolphus looked annoyed, "So what do you propose? I don't fancy hauling back this-" he looked at Iris disgustedly, "this corpse back to the mansion."

"I asked you before if you were ready to be a father, _dear_. So, are you?" Bellatrix asked her husband with an unsettling grin on her face, her rotten teeth clearly visible.

"I-I don't understand."

"I want this child. You will help me get her."

"How?"

In a flash, Bellatrix grabbed Rodolphus' hand and suddenly brandished what seemed like an intricately carved silver blade. She squeezed Rodolphus' wrist tightly until his palm was open for her.

"I just need a little bit of your blood." Bella sneered, and with that, she slashed her husband's palm and let the blood flowing from the wound, drop on to the burnt body of Iris Granger.

Bellatrix let go of her husband's hand and proceeded to slash her own palm, also letting her blood fall on to Iris.

"Bloody hell, Bella! Are you mad?!" Rodolphus shouted angrily as he quickly used his wand to heal his injured hand.

Bellatrix ignored her husband's complaints as she kneeled down beside Iris' body. Although still breathing, it was clear that she was only a few seconds away from dying.

" _Animam Sanguinis,_ " Bellatrix muttered as she used her wand to mix together her and her husband's blood which had pooled near Iris' chest. The blood changed from its rich velvety colour into a very dark, almost black colour. She levitated the liquid until it formed into a sphere which slowly floated into the air.

"What on earth are you trying to do, Bella?!" Rodolphus exclaimed as he openly gawked at his crazy wife.

"It would be best if you learned to shut your mouth, dear, If I make a mistake doing this, I'll be sure to take out my frustrations on you later." Bellatrix warned.

Rodolphus knew when he was being threatened, so he quickly fell silent and continued to watch what his wife was doing.

Bellatrix returned her attention back to her spellwork, she muttered a few more spells which both Rodolphus and Hermione were unfamiliar of. After she completed the series of spells, she suddenly pushed the tip of her wand into Iris' chest, just where her heart was at, and she buried its tip into her heart.

Iris body jolted and the sphere of blood which floated above her slowly descended to where Bellatrix stabbed her chest. As the blood completely entered her body, Bellatrix finally removed her wand and stood up. The female deatheater was clearly waiting for something more to happen.

A few seconds passed until something started to happen with Iris' body. A bit of black smoke started to rise out of her chest, and it slowly spread to all parts of her small, charred body. The smoke then enveloped her entire body until everything was hidden in the thickness of its haze.

"Just a bit more, love. Mummy's about to get herself a child." Bellatrix cooed.

The smoke then slowly dissipated, and in its wake, Iris' unblemished skin was left. Once all the black smoke was gone, her body looked as if it wasn't swallowed in the flames of fiendfyre.

"A daughter. Lovely." Bellatrix said in an almost affectionate tone.

" _Ennervate._ " Bellatrix muttered, as a jet of light hit Iris in the chest, she was suddenly pulled into consciousness.

A blank expression was present on Iris' face. She looked up at Bellatrix, and then at Rodolphus, with no signs of recognition.

Bellatrix smirked triumphantly; she slowly put her hands around Iris' body and slowly hauled her up as she stood up. Bellatrix handed Iris over towards Rodolphus, who hesitantly took the child from his wife. Iris continued to watch both eaters with a blank look on her face.

"Mummy and Daddy are now with you, pet." Bellatrix told Iris with a manic expression on her face.

At this, Iris suddenly spoke, "Mummy? Daddy?"

Bellatrix grinned, "My perfect, perfect little child."

"Bella, how are we supposed to explain this to our Lord?" Rodolphus asked as he cradled Iris in his arms.

"Leave it to me, dear." Bella replied excitedly, as she pinched Iris' plump cheek gently, "Leave it to me."

Rodolphus sighed, "As you wish. Now, let's be on our way. We've stayed here for far too long."

Bella gave her husband a brief nod, and they slowly made their way off the site of the ruined Granger Manor.

Hermione was at a loss for words as she looked at the backs of Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange. She could still clearly see Iris who was now hoisted up across one of Rodolphus' shoulders; her twin was staring at the ruins where she came from.

Iris then slowly glanced at Hermione who was frozen in place, a frightening expression flashed across the little girls face when she finally set her eyes on her sister.

"This is all your fault, Hermione." Iris snarled at her sister.

Iris' last words forced Hermione as she was suddenly thrown out of her dream, she found herself sitting on her bed, cold sweat running down her head as she continued panting hard, as if she ran a marathon.

As the memories all came back to her, tears started to fall from her eyes as she cried for the tragedy that befell her twin sister,

 **A/N: I am back.**


	25. Chapter 24: The Walls have Ears

**A/N: So hi, it certainly has been a while. I would like to apologize for not updating soon enough. A lot of things have happened. If you've been reading my previous ANs, you'd know that I recently got married. So, what comes after marriage? Babies! So I got pregnant a month ago, and unfortunately lost the baby early. I even had to undergo emergency surgery and am still recovering from it.**

 **I don't mean to bother you with my life's drama especially when you're here to read some fanfiction, but I just want to say that, life goes on. And though I feel devastated, the only way to go is forward. And if you're having a difficult time as of this moment, I hope and I pray that you'll also have the strength to overcome it.**

After that terrible nightmare, Hermione decided that it was best to avoid Syrine for a while. Not that she had a difficult time doing that. Her 'twin', was also quite skilled in pretending that she did not exist.

Hermione didn't want to admit it, but she felt guilty whenever she saw Syrine. The young version of Iris accusing her that it was all her fault that she had to go through all that grief kept Hermione awake every night since she had that dream. Although she knew that dreams were rarely based on reality, she knew that what she witnessed was a part of her sister's memories. She remembered the spark that she felt when she touched Syrine up in the astronomy tower, she concluded that the contact may have deepened the existing connection between the two of them, leading her to witness that horrific memory.

The whole school calmed down a bit since the initial report of the mass deatheater break out. Although the atmosphere remained tense, the constant presence of Umbridge in the school meant that any more speculation regarding the return of You-Know-Who's supporters were kept to a minimum.

Regardless of the pressure that Umbridge was imposing on the student body, the DA still continued their secret meetings. Majority of the DA members were now hungry to learn more spells, they knew what the breakout meant. Despite the ministries constant cover ups of You-Know-Who's return, they knew what was coming. They no longer thought that Harry was crazy for believing that the Darkest Wizard of all time had returned.

They were now more adept at casting advanced spells, even Neville was now a decent dueller. Hermione made sure to keep Syrine's words to heart, it was no use to use spells to defeat a boggart. What they needed were proper knowledge and skills to defend against actual dark wizards. Her only worry was that, despite being equipped with good defensive spells, duelling a real death eater would be much more different. She could only pray that when the time comes, all this training would benefit everyone when their very life counted on it.

The DA meeting finished, Harry made sure that all the members got back to their common room without getting caught by Filch or the members of the newly formed Inquisitorial Squad, a group of students mainly composed of Slytherins who acted like miniature versions of Umbridge. Nobody was surprised when they found out that Draco Malfoy was a member, what was surprising was the fact that Syrine Lestrange refused to have anything to do with them.

It was finally time for Harry and Hermione to leave the Room of Requirement, Ron had already left since he wanted to make sure that Ginny would be able to return to their common room without any trouble. The two of them hid under Harry's invisibility cloak as they used the marauder's map to guide them safely back to the tower.

The two members of the Gryffindor trio were half way there when Harry suddenly stepped in his tracks, "Wait, Hermione."

"What is it, Harry?" she said as she stopped as well.

Harry handed her the marauders's map and pointed to a corridor just a corner away from them. They could see two dots on it, one named Draco Malfoy and the other, Syrine Lestrange.

"It's past curfew, what do you think they're up to?" Harry asked.

Hermione wasn't really in the mood to spy on her 'twin' again, but the look on Harry's face told her that they were about to. She sighed, she then turned to Harry and signalled him that they should go and see what the two Slytherins were doing.

"They're probably just snogging." _Lie._ Hermione said, trying to convince Harry that they weren't doing anything wrong.

Harry shrugged, "I think that's unlikely. Lestrange doesn't seem to be the touchy feely type."

They reached the corridor where the two Slytherins were hanging around. Hermione concluded that the two were in some type of argument since Draco looked incensed while Syrine continued to look bored.

The Gryffindors positioned themselves a few feet away from the two snakes, Hermione made sure that their footsteps were muffled as they walked so the two were unaware that they were being spied on.

"Why haven't you joined the Inquisitorial squad yet? Professor Umbridge has been bugging me to get you to join." Draco told Syrine harshly.

Syrine crossed her arms in front of her and sighed, "Because I don't want to. Is that not enough of a reason? Besides, I don't fancy spending anytime with that toad."

Harry snickered; Hermione elbowed him in the rib. It was a good thing that they were also under a strong silencing spell.

"You don't need to fancy her. You should just join so you could enjoy the benefits of the squad." Draco said, still trying to goad her to join.

Syrine pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, she was already looking quite annoyed. "Benefits? Like what?"

"You know, docking points, no curfew, spying on Potter and his 'secret meetings'" Draco answered with a sneer.

The two Gryffindors who were present didn't appreciate the fact that Malfoy knew about the DA meetings.

Draco's answer caught Syrine's attention, "Secret meetings you say? Where do you even get the information?"

"Filch has been noticing a pattern for a few months now, I know their meeting somewhere up in the 7th floor corridor, we just haven't caught them red handed yet. But we're close, I can feel it."

Syrine finally lowered her hands and smiled, "And what are you going to do once you catch them? Dare I ask."

Draco grinned, "Umbridge will punish them ofcourse; all the more reason to catch them. I heard from someone that Umbridge's detention are quite painful."

"Not interested then, I don't fancy using my time to spy on Potter and his 'meetings'. I've got better things to do." Syrine said in a bored tone. "Can we go now? I don't even know why you bothered to take me here just to tell me something so useless."

Draco frowned, "Spying on Potter is not useless. I know he's up to something."

Syrine grabbed Draco's hand and started dragging him back to the dungeons, "Whatever. I won't join but you will tell me once you've figured out more about this secret meetings, won't you?"

Draco perked up, "Of course, I will."

Syrine smiled at Draco, "Wonderful."

Once the two snakes were completely gone, Harry and Hermione stared at each other worriedly.

"Maybe we shouldn't have DA meetings for a while? Just to throw Filch off our tracks." Hermione suggested.

"One more meeting, and then we lay low for a while." Harry said. "We still have the map, we can avoid Filch one last time."

"But Harry -"

Harry stared intently at Hermione, "Teaching our friends how to defend themselves is much more important than being scared of getting caught by Filch. You have my word Mione, just one more and we take a break."

Hermione nodded, she trusted Harry. "Let's go back then, we have to tell Ron about what we just heard."

 ***HP***

Hermione was running down one of the corridors, she was running late for their final DA meeting. She didn't expect that Peeves would be the cause for her tardiness, the resident poltergeist decided to lock the girl's bathroom and barricade the door from the outside. It took a while for Hermione to get out since she was alone. It took a few threats before Peeves decided to remove the barricade from outside, but she was already late.

She was now just a floor away from the room of requirement when she passed by a few class rooms, it was sudden but as she passed one of the empty rooms, somebody grabbed her hand and dragged her inside. She didn't panic since she had an idea who it was, so she waited until they were safely inside the room before she got a good look at Syrine.

"You don't even look surprised anymore."Syrine observed, looking a bit impressed.

"Dragging people inside classrooms is your thing. This doesn't surprise me anymore." Hermione replied with a smile.

The 'twins' stared at each other for a while before Syrine's expression turned serious, "You have a snake in your group. The Inquisitorial squad is preparing to catch all of you as of this moment, don't go to the meeting. Don't get yourself into trouble."

Hermione didn't even bother to verify Syrine's warning, she knew that the Slytherin was telling the truth. She didn't even bother to reply anymore, she just ran out of the room as fast as she could so that she'd be able to warn the others who were already there.

Syrine, not expecting the reaction, ran after her.

"What the hell, Granger! Are you stupid or something?!" Syrine shouted as she ran after the curly haired Gryffindor, she was quite lucky that no one else was there to witness the scene.

"Not stupid, just foolishly loyal!" Hermione answered as she finally reached the stairs to the 7th floor.

Syrine didn't bother to follow her anymore; she knew she wouldn't be able to do anything else even if she followed Hermione upstairs.

The raven haired Slytherin sighed as she started running the opposite direction, "Seriously, the things I do for that swot."

 **A/N: I'll be posting another update soon. Recovering from surgery is a perfect time to catch up on writing fanfiction. So, any thoughts?**


	26. Chapter 25: Little Bird

**A/N: Oh, wow! I was actually unsure about telling you wonderful people about my hardships but I am completely touched by how much all of you care. This is the very reason why I love being able to share my work online, it lets people connect with each other on a whole new level.**

 **Although I am not yet fully recovered, I want to thank you all for being such great readers. And to Kokotaru, I don't think I'm as strong as you think I am because I often turn into a blubbering mess whenever I think about what happened, but I do hope that I can be stronger tomorrow than I am today.**

 **So back to the update. I hope you enjoy! This chapter's dedicated to all of my wonderful readers.**

For some reason, Harry was staring blankly at the wall in the common room as he sat on his favourite chair. He still couldn't believe that they were able to leave the room of requirement before anyone from the Inquisitorial Squad caught them.

Harry recalled the events that happened on that day. He and Hermione were under the protection of the invisibility cloak since they were the last to leave the room; Ron was able to leave first since he wanted to make sure that Ginny would be able to return to the tower without any difficulty. They barely made it a few feet away when the Inquisitorial squad arrived together with Filch and Umbridge.

"Are you sure they're here, Mr. Mafoy?" Umbridge asked in her sickening sweet voice.

"Of course, Professor. Ms. Edgecombe promised us that there would be a meeting today." Draco answered with a nervous look on his face.

Harry and Hermione watched as the group tried to infiltrate the room. After a half an hour or so, Umbridge was finally fed up.

"Mr. Filch, check the dorms. Report to me if there's any student who is missing. I don't think they're here anymore." Umbridge commanded the caretaker with an ugly frown on her face.

Filch nodded at her and quickly left, as Harry and Hermione saw the caretaker leave, they knew that they needed to go back to the dorms as quickly as possible. As they turned to leave, they were still able to hear a conversation between Malfoy and Umbridge.

"It seems like Potter and his friends had left early. Are you sure nobody else knew about our plans?" Umbridge asked the blonde Slytherin, she didn't sound too pleased.

"No one else, Professor." Draco assured her.

Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin who was also a member of the squad approached the two and said, "If we didn't take such a long time getting here, maybe we would have caught them."

Umbridge turned to Malfoy and looked suspicious, "What caused the delay?"

Draco frowned at Pansy, "We were about to go to your office when Ms. Lestrange arrived, she didn't look very well and was looking very pale. I took her to the hospital wing first before we were able to proceed."

"You should've just left her in the common room. What you did just caused this mission to fail." Umbridge told the Slytherin angrily.

Despite the anger directed to him by Umbridge, Draco just stared at her coldly. "I don't think her parents will appreciate the fact that you dismissed her condition like that so easily, Professor."

A nervous expression appeared on Umbridge's face as she realized the truth of Draco's words, "I see." She fixed her robes a bit first before continuing, her hands were shaking a bit, "I do hope Ms. Lestrange is doing fine now."

Draco nodded, "She is. Thank you for asking."

 ***HP***

"Hey, Mione." Ron called out as the goldren trio were busy finishing their Transfiguration essay in the common room.

"Yes, Ron? What is it?" Hermione answered as she continued to check for any errors in her essay.

"You haven't told us yet how you found out about the Inquisitorial Squad's plan to catch us that day." Ron said as he put down his essay.

Harry looked up from his parchment and observed the two, he was also quite curious since Hermione kept mum about everything.

Hermione sighed, "A little bird told me."

"Who?" Ron asked, "That was a pretty valuable piece of information that person shared with you."

"Can't we just live with the fact that some person is helping us discreetly, Ron?" Hermione asked, looking a bit anxious. She didn't want to tell her friends that it was Syrine Lestrange who helped them. The strange relationship she shared with her 'twin' was not something she was prepared to explain to her friends yet.

Ron looked at her thoughtfully, "Fine then. Just be sure to send that person my gratitude. I don't fancy being punished by that toad."

Hermione nodded at Ron and smiled, Harry kept silent as observed the two. Despite Hermione's silence in what had happened, he had a pretty good idea who tipped them off. It wasn't the first time that the mysterious Slytherin aided them.

"But still, who would have thought that Edgecombe would be the sneak." Ron added as he stared tiredly at his essay.

Harry frowned, "It is really hard to trust a lot of people, isn't it?"

"Yes. It is." Hermione sighed; she still had a hard time accepting the fact that they were betrayed. "I'm just glad that everyone's fine. Despite Marietta's confession, they still don't have any evidence against us so it's hard to prove."

After majority of the members of the DA found out that it was Marietta Edgecombe who betrayed them, it was decided that the DA would no longer resume their meetings until the time when Umbridge was finally gone from Hogwarts. They didn't when that would happen, but it was safer to lay low. It was becoming more difficult to continue trusting a lot of people for such a large group.

Harry stared at Hermione, he had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Ron said it already, but if you manage to talk with your little bird again, please tell that person that I owe them a favour." Said Harry.

Hermione smiled at him, "I'll be sure to get the message through."

 ***HP***

It was almost curfew; Hermione was still in the library researching on a few more things about Charms. O. were on their way and she wanted to prepare herself. Umbridge or no Umbridge, she didn't want to slack off just because Hogwarts is being managed differently for the year.

Just a quarter till the library closed, an unexpected guest arrived. Syrine arrived at the library carrying a few books. She seemed as if she was there to return them to Madam Pince.

"It's pretty late already. Don't you think so, Ms. Lestrange?" Madam Pince asked with a frown on her face.

"I forgot that they were due today, Madam Pince. I apologize." Syrine said as she placed the books on top of the librarian's desk

The librarian eyed the books a bit before she turned to Syrine, "Would you be a dear and return the books to its shelf? I'm afraid I still have a lot to do here."

Syrine nodded at Madam Pince and proceeded to the shelves at the back of the library.

Seeing a rare chance where Hermione could get the elusive Slytherin alone, the Gryffindor left her table and followed Syrine.

"Stalking me again?" Syrine asked, she didn't need to turn around to see that Hermione was standing behind her.

"That's a funny statement coming from someone who loves to drag people inside random classrooms when they least expect it." Hermione replied with a grin.

Syrine finished placing the books back in the shelf and turned towards Hermione. "Do you need something?"

"I just wanted to say Thank you." Hermione said.

Syrine stayed quiet, she continued to stare at Hermione as if she was trying to read her mind.

"Harry and Ron also send their thanks." Hermione added.

Syrine added, "It wasn't as if I did it for them. I didn't care if they got caught."

"Then are you saying that you did it for me?" Hermione asked.

There was no answer. Syrine acted as if she didn't hear the question.

Hermione just sighed, "Harry wanted me to tell you that he owes you a favour."

Syrine smirked, "Although I didn't mean to help your little friends, having the chosen one owe me a favour is an opportunity I won't waste. I'll put it to good use in the future."

The Slytherin didn't give Hermione another chance to speak; she quickly made her way outside the library. Once she was gone, Hermione went back to her table to gather her books and call it a night.

 **A/N: More or less, this story will likely reach 50 chapters. I hope I can finish it soon. I have too many ideas going through my head right now.**


	27. Chapter 26: Dreams and Mirrors

**A/N: So I've posted a lot of updates one after the other. I'm just catching up for lost time lol. If you're wondering why updates are being released quickly, it's because I'm not getting any sleep. I've only been able to nap max 2 hours a day, I feel like my brain's gone fuzzy, but what can I do? The Sand Man has decided that I'm not going to get any sleep.**

The last day of the OWL exams ended with a bang as the Weasley twins decided that that would be the day when they finally left Hogwarts for good. It was a sight to remember when Fred and George Weasley used many of the products that they've developed to cause mass confusion to the entire Hogwarts population. It was the first time many of the students saw a portable swamp and a variety of brilliant fireworks which seemed to have a life of their own.

The twins were nothing but thorough in the execution of their grand escape, it was entertaining and it sure made a statement that despite the Ministry's increasing pressure on Hogwarts, the mischief shall go on. Umbridge looked as if she was about to explode as she watched the Weasley twins leave the Hogwarts grounds riding on their brooms. The rest of the teaching staff however, felt like they were just watching an amusing show and decided to enjoy the view.

Things died down after the Weasley twins left Hogwarts. Although it took a while before any of the staff figured out how to remove the portable swamp near Umbridge's office, the rest of the population fell back to their usual routine.

Umbridge was still a thorn in Harry's life, that certainly didn't change. The only thing that Harry did was to ignore Umbridge's taunts whenever they were in class; he had learned that the best way to keep the vile woman of his back was to pretend that her constant jabs at Harry's unstable emotional wellbeing didn't affect him. It was difficult, but he could do it.

Harry's only concern over the few weeks after OWLs was his constant dreams involving Voldemort. The dreams weren't clear, they were just glimpses. Harry convinced himself that he was just having nightmares. Of his two best friends, only Hermione knew about the dreams.

"Maybe you should go and tell Professor Dumbledore about those dreams. I don't think that's something you should ignore." Hermione advised as the two of them were eating breakfast. Ron was still sleeping up in the dorms.

"I'm sure they're nothing, Mione." Harry said, he didn't want to talk about it.

"But, Harry –"

"I know you're worried about me, Mione. But, I've got it all under control. If things get worse, maybe I'll just go to Madam Pomfrey for a Dreamless Sleep Potion." Said Harry.

Hermione sighed, "It would make me feel better if you'd just tell the Professor, Harry. But I won't force you to do anything, just update me if something comes up."

"Don't worry, I will."

 ***HP***

Hermione was lucky enough to enjoy the warmth that the common room provided alone. It was already quite late, and majority of the Gryffindors were already sleeping in their dorms. She wasn't even reading anymore, she was just there to enjoy the peace and quiet that the empty common room offered.

The curly haired Gryffindor was just about to doze off, when the doors to the 5th year boy's dorm room suddenly opened, Harry came out looking as white as a sheet, clutching his invisibility cloak with him. Ron followed him, looking quite worried.

Harry ran downstairs to where Hermione was sitting at, "He's got Sirius, Mione! They're somewhere at the Ministry!"

Hermione was wide awake now; she pulled Harry to sit beside her, trying to calm him down. "Calm down, Harry. Explain to me what you saw."

"I-I-" Harry took a deep breath before he continued. "I still keep having these dreams about him Mione. And I thought I could just brush it off... But tonight, tonight was different!"

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione, Ron was already there with him, listening to Harry's explanation. He was as confused with the current situation as Herimione was.

"We have no time for this, Mione! We have to go to the Ministry now! Sirius is in danger!" Harry exclaimed, he almost looked a bit touched.

Hermione placed her palms on both sides of Harry's face, "Listen to me, Harry. I have to understand the situation before I can help you."

Harry took several deep breaths before he said anything again, "I saw Sirius. He was on his knees, Voldemort was there. He was hurting him!"

Hermione sighed, "How do you know this wasn't just another dream Harry?"

"It's not. It's like I was inside Voldemort's body, I could see what he was seeing!" Harry explained.

At his answer, Ron and Hermione looked at each other worriedly.

"Harry, I know you don't want to here this. But I want you to think about what I'm about to say." Ron said calmly, Hermione was thankful that despite Ron's penchant for being immature, he could always be counted on to think logically when it came to danger.

Ron sat beside Harry, and sighed. "If...and if what you saw was really true. What's your plan of action? You say that we have to go to the ministry."

"Yes, Ron. Sirius is the only family I have left. We have to go there and save him." Harry answered angrily, "What are you doing? You're both wasting time. Who knows what those bastards are doing to my godfather!"

Ron sighed, "How do you supposed we'd get there, then? And just like Hermione said, how do you know that this isn't just another dream? I don't know if you're thinking straight Harry, but Hermione and I are your best friends. If you go there, you can be sure that we are going there with you. But please, think this through first. Once we decide to leave, we are all putting our lives at risk for something that we aren't even sure is real."

"But it is –" Harry answered, but he was already sounding unsure.

"Before we decide on anything, let's make sure first if Sirius is really gone. We have to go check on Grimmauld place." Hermione suggested.

"How? We obviously can't use the floo, it's being monitored by the ministry." Ron said.

Hermione looked pensieve for a moment, "If only there was an alternative way that we could contact Sirius at his home."

There was silence for a moment before Harry suddenly stood up, he ran back up to the dorms and after a few minutes, came out holding a package. He returned to his seat as he opened the parcel with his shaking hands.

"I don't exactly know what this is. Sirius gave them to me during Christmas, but he told me to use it if I ever needed him." Harry explained as he took out a piece of a broken mirror.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

The three Gryffindors looked at the piece of broken mirror, they honestly had no idea what it was for.

"Why don't you try calling Sirius name or something?" Ron suggested.

Harry looked unsure, but he followed Ron's suggestion. Nothing happened at first, but after a few moments, the image in the mirror distorted slightly and Sirius face suddenly appeared.

"Oi, Harry! I was wondering when you were gonna use that gift I gave you!" Sirius greeted, he sure looked Happy to see his godson.

Harry just stared at the mirror; he didn't know what to say. He was so sure that his godfather was taken.

"Sirius, is that really you?" Hermione asked, looking a bit relaxed now.

Sirius looked confused, "Of course it's me! Have you three been drinking?"

Harry finally snapped out of his stupor and asked, "Sirius, where are you right now?"

At Harry's question, Sirius laughed. "Where else would I be? You knew that Albus won't let me go outside."

"If you really are him, show us where Buckbeak is." Harry said, he needed to make sure.

The image in the mirror shifted for a bit before it landed on Buckbeak, he was sleeping on Sirius's bed, he looked quite comfortable there. After a few seconds, he the image returned to Sirius.

"What't wrong? Did something happen?" Sirius asked looking worried.

Harry was finally able to relax, "Nothing. It's nothing, really. I'm just glad you're safe."

"It's not nothing Harry, tell Sirius what happened!" Hermione said looking a bit annoyed. She thought about what would've happened if Harry didn't use the mirror, they would've been halfway towards the ministry by now.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted, looking a bit red.

Sirius looked a bit pissed, "You know how much I love you, Harry. But I don't appreciate any secrets especially when I see the three of you looking so scared."

Harry sighed, "I've been having dreams."

"What dreams?" Sirius asked.

"Before, it was just a few glimpses. Sometimes, I see some people wearing masks, and sometimes I see myself walking in corridors of house I've never been to before. I just thought it was nothing until tonight." Harry explained.

"What did you see tonight?" Sirius looked like an auror as he continued to ask Harry questions.

"I saw you tied up somewhere. In my dreams, I heard that you were in the ministry. Voldemort was there... He was hurting you. I quickly woke up and decided that I should go to where you are and save you." Harry said quietly. He didn't want to think of what would've happened if he didn't listen to his friends. He knew he was being a fool.

Sirius smiled, but he still looked quite sad. "It's a good thing that you remembered to use the mirror, Harry."

Sirius asked a few more questions regarding the details of the dream, once he was completely satisfied with the answers. He told the three Gryffindors to get some sleep.

"Hermione, please make sure that Harry talks with Dumbledore regarding his dreams. I'm counting on you." Sirius said with a tired smile on his face.

"I will Sirius. Don't worry." Hermione promised.

Sirius bade goodbye and he disappeared from the other side of the mirror. The golden trio sat on the couch quietly, they all looked quite worn out with all the emotions that they just went through.

"I'm sorry, Ron. Hermione." Harry apologized.

Ron smiled, "I'm just glad everyone's safe."

"Harry, you and I have to go to Dumbledore tomorrow. I don't think that dream you had was an accident." Hermione said, looking worried.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"What if Voldemort is aware of the dreams that you're having, Harry? What if the dream you saw tonight was shown to you on purpose? Maybe he was testing it if he could draw you out of Hogwarts?" Hermione replied.

Harry just stared at her silently. He didn't know what to say, because it was as if Hermione just read what was on his mind.

Ron finally stood up, "Come on, Harry. Let's get some sleep. You should go back to your room too, Mione."

Harry nodded, and followed Ron to their rooms. As he was about to ascend the stairs, Harry turned to Hermione.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you before, Mione. I won't make the same mistake next time." Harry said sincerely.

Hermione smiled at him, "Get some sleep, Harry. We have a long day tomorrow."

 **A/N: What do you say to the god of death? Not Sirius! Seriously though, I can't handle his death so he won't be dying anytime soon. Please R &R, tell me what you think! **


	28. Chapter 27: Blood of My Blood

Hogwarts was in an uproar the day after Harry dreamt that Sirius was captured. The golden trio went down to the Great Hall a bit later than usual; Ron woke up a bit late due to how late they were able to sleep the night before. They arrived when the owls were already done delivering the mail and the day's issue of the Daily Prophet.

The moment the three of them arrived at the Great Hall, majority of the student's eyes were on them. They took their seat at the usual spot, Neville was already there holding a newspaper.

"I think you should read this." Neville said as he handed the paper to Harry.

Harry scrunched his brows as he took the paper from Neville, "What happened?"

Neville didn't bother to answer, he just pointed at the headline: HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED RETURNS. Harry quickly devoured the article, the more he read, the more he felt overwhelmed.

 _Ministry of Magic – Last night, the Ministry of Magic was infiltrated by none other than the He Who Must Not Be Named himself along with a number of his loyal Death Eaters. It is not clear yet as to what they were after, but it is quite clear now that the rumours regarding the return of the darkest wizard of all time was true and that the Ministry was covering it up._

 _Due to valuable information coming from a reliable source, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE) along with Hogwarts Head Master Albus Dumbledore were able to mobilize before You Know Who and the Death Eaters managed to get what they were after. A duel ensued between the Aurors and the Death Eaters. Rodolphus Lestrange, a death eater who had just recently escaped Azkaban was killed in the fight by Auros Kingsley Shacklebolt. Two more Death Eaters, Peter Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy were captured after being stunned by Auror Nymphadora Tonks. The two have now been taken into custody for further investigation._

 _A duel also broke out between You Know Who and Albus Dumbledore as the former was on his way to escape the Ministry, despite being overpowered by Hogwarts' current Headmaster, You Know Who as able to escape due to the assistance of Bellatrix Lestrange._

 _It is now unclear as to why the Ministry has kept its citizens in the dark of You Know Who's return. Minister Cornelius Fudge has yet to release a statement regarding the incident._

Harry's eyes were wide as he put down the newspaper, he didn't know what to think or feel. The only thing that he was sure was that if the three of them had went straight to the Ministry last night, they were heading straight into a trap.

He handed the paper to Ron and Hermione who read it together. The moment Hermione finished reading; she quickly turned her gaze toward the Slytherin table. Harry was sure that she was looking for Syrine Lestrange.

Harry also turned his attention towards the Slytherin table, he noticed that both Draco Malfoy and Syrine Lestrange were not there. He didn't know if they were avoiding to be seen or public or if they were still unaware of what happened.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione and saw that they had pensieve expression on their faces, "What's wrong?"

Hermione smiled at him, "Now everybody knows that you've been telling the truth."

Harry smiled back, "I don't know exactly what happened last night, but I think that 'reliable source' that the paper mentioned was Sirius."

"I'm just glad that we didn't go there. I don't think I'm quite ready yet to duel with a death eater yet." Ron added as he started to eat breakfast.

Harry just nodded, deep inside he agreed. They weren't ready for that yet.

As Harry was about to start his breakfast, Draco Malfoy suddenly arrived sprinting towards the staff table. He had frantic expression on his face, he hadn't even changed into his school robes yet. He ran to the Professor Snape the moment he saw him.

Harry had no idea what the blonde Slytherin told their Head of House, but as soon as he was finished, Snape quickly stood up and left the Great Hall with Malfoy.

"Harry," Hermione called. "I need to borrow your cloak."

Harry stared at Hermione a few moments before he finally nodded, he had a feeling that the incident they just witnessed was related to the fact that Syrine Lestrange was yet to be seen.

Hermione stood up without taking a single bite from her breakfast, Ron looked up from his plate and eyed her curiously, "Where are you going? You haven't eaten yet."

"I forgot one of my books. I need to get it before class begins." Hermione answered quickly before she left the Great Hall.

"She didn't actually forget her book, did she?" Ron asked as he finished drinking a cup of pumpkin juice.

"Not really." Harry answered with a smile.

Ron just shrugged and Harry just wondered when Ron became too perceptive.

 ***HP***

Under the protection of Harry's invisibility cloak, Hermione waited outside the Slytherin dungeons for Professor Snape to leave. She had the Marauder's Map with her and she saw that the Potions professor was still insidet together with Malfoy and Syrine.

Hermione waited there patiently before the Professor finally left the dungeons, behind him was a worried looking Draco. Syrine was also there, but she was unconscious and was being levitated by Snape.

"You can go to your classes now, Mr. Malfoy." Snape ordered his charge.

Draco frowned, "With all due to respect, Sir. But, I need know that Sy is okay, so I'll be going with you to the hospital wing."

Snape frowned, "Fine. Let's go then."

Professor Snape and Draco proceeded to walk towards the hospital wing, Syrine's unconscious body floated behind them.

"Have you had word from your mother?" Snape asked the blonde Slytherin.

Draco shook his head, "I'd rather not talk about that yet, Sir."

Snape looked at him and nodded, they remained quiet until they reached their destination. Hermione was still trailing them from behind.

Upon seeing the unconscious Slytherin, Madam Pomfrey quickly lowered her on to one of the beds and cast a series of diagnostic spells.

"What happened, Severus?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "How long has she been like this?"

Snape signalled Draco to answer the mediwitch.

"I'm not exactly sure, Madam Pomfrey. I started to get worried this morning when it was already a bit late and Sy hadn't gone down yet. I asked Pansy to check on her and she told me that she couldn't wake her up. That was when I quickly called Professor Snape since I couldn't go inside the girl's dorms." Draco answered.

The mediwitch looked worried, "I checked her pulse, it's slower than normal." She pointed her wand at Syrine and muttered a spell, a jet of white light erupted from it and struck the Slytherin's chest but she remained unconscious.

"Severus, is it really okay for Mr. Malfoy to stay here?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she continued to assess her patient.

"Yes, Poppy. You may proceed." Severus replied.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. She did a series of complicated wand movements and spells again, the movements were already familiar to Hermione. It was the spell used to see the person's magical core. After the mediwitch finished, a small ball of light erupted from Syrine's chest and floated just a few inches above her.

Hermione stayed quiet as the mediwitch started to inspect Syrine's magical core. She made sure to get closer so that she could fully hear what they were talking about.

"What is that?" Draco asked, eyeing the ball of light.

"That is Ms. Lestrange's magical core. I know that this is your first time seeing it, but your Head of House and I have seen it before." Madam Pomfrey explained.

"I feel like it's more unstable than before." Snape observed as he inspected the ball.

Madam Pomfrey nodded, "The black mist that has been swirling inside of it has lessened. Unfortunately..."

"What is it?" Draco asked worriedly.

Madam Pomfrey cast a few more spells and sighed, "It's fractured. Some cracks have appeared and it seems as if a lot of her magical essence has already leaked out."

"Can you fix it?" Snape asked.

"I don't understand what's happening." Draco said weakly, "Is Sy going to be alright?"

Madam Pomfrey's expression wasn't optimistic, "As a mediwitch, I cannot lie about my patient's condition." She looked at Severus first, the Professor signalled her to continue. "I don't know what caused this fracture but I know that the cracks are recent. If it's not fixed as soon as possible, Ms. Lestrange will die soon."

"DIE?!" Draco shouted, "That can't happen. If you can't help her, then I'm taking her to St. Mungo's right now!"

Severus stared at his student severely, he had no idea that the blonde Slytherin could be that passionate. "Mr. Malfoy, I would appreciate it if you didn't forget who you're talking to."

The expression on Draco's face remained the same, "I'm sorry professor, but I stick by what I said."

"Calm down, Mr. Malfoy." Madam Pomfrey said. "I said that if it's not fixed as soon as possible. I didn't say that I couldn't fix it."

Draco looked quite embarrassed, "I apologize, Madam Pomfrey. I'm just worried, Sy is..."

"I know she's important to you." Madam Pomfrey said to Draco with a smile on her face. "I'll do my best to help her."

"Is there anything you need?" Snape asked.

"In order to fix this, I need a person with a similar magical signature to her. Since Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Lestrange are cousins, I'm pretty sure that you're compatible with her. Witches and wizards who are blood related have very similar cores." Madam Pomfrey explained.

Draco went paler than usual, "What would happen if the cores aren't compatible? And how will it be done?"

"The process is simple enough as it is. The spell is complicated but it's nothing that I can't do. I just use some of your magical essence to seal the cracks on Ms. Lestrange's core. Don't worry about yours not being compatible with her, both of your mothers are Blacks. That alone is proof enough that you have compatible magical signatures." Madam Pomfrey answered.

"But, what would happen if it's not compatible?" Snape asked as he looked at Draco, "Just a hypothetical question."

The mediwitch thought deeply for a moment before she replied, "The cracks will get worse. It may cause the patient's condition to decline faster."

"How long can you keep her condition stable enough before things turn for the worst?" Snape asked.

"I can stabilize her for at least a day, but I need to repair it soon. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to fix."

"Is there anyone else who can provide the compatible magical signature?" Snape inqured, he had a hunch that Draco was withholding information. He needed to find out what his charge was hiding first.

"I would prefer a sibling or a parent. But I understand that Ms. Lestrange is an only child, and her parents..."

Snape nodded in understanding, there was no way for them to get Bellatrix Lestrange inside the school. Rodolphus was also out of the question, since he was already dead.

"I'll be back in a few hours, Poppy. I need to talk with Mr. Malfoy first since we still have to inform his mother of this incident. Please take care of Ms. Lestrange while I'm gone." Snape directed the mediwitch.

The mediwitch nodded, Severus Snape left the hospital wing together with Draco. The blonde Slytherin didn't want to leave, but one look from his Head of House told him that he had no choice in the matter.

Hermione waited until she was sure that the coast was clear, once she concluded that nobody else was going to arrive, she took off the invisibility cloak. Madam Pomfrey almost had a mini heart attack when Hermione suddenly appeared out of thin air.

"Ms. Granger, what in Merlin's name are you doing here? How did you even get here?!" The mediwitch exclaimed as she clutched her chest.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Madam Pomfrey. And I also apologize for eavesdropping on your conversation with Professor Snape a while ago." Hermione said with a determined expression on your face.

"You should leave now, Ms. Granger. Classes have already started for the day." The mediwitch advised, she wasn't thrilled that a student spied on her.

"I'm afraid I can't do that yet. I can help you." Hermione said.

"Help me with what dear?"

"I can help you make sure that Syrine doesn't die anytime soon."

Madam Pomfrey smiled, she was touched that Hermione wanted to help. "And how do you plan to do that, Ms. Granger?"

"If I understand the situation correctly, you need someone with a similar magical signature, right?" Hermione asked, she already knew the answer but she wanted to be sure.

"Yes, but I don't understand on how you can be of assistance Ms. Granger." Madam Pomfrey said sadly. The only person in the school who could help her was Mr. Malfoy.

"But I can." Hermione assured the mediwitch.

"And how can you?"

"She's my sister."

 **A/N: The End. Lol. Please leave a review, pleaseeee. If you see a few typos here and there, I apologize for that. It's hard to edit when all these ideas are filling my brain. Once I finish the entire story, I'll be sure to fix it.**


	29. Chapter 28: Sisters

The moment Professor Snape let Draco out of his sight, he returned to the hospital wing as fast as he could. He was feeling quite hopeless on Syrine's present situation. Though it was supposed to be a secret, Draco had no choice but to tell that he and Syrine weren't actual cousins. Snape didn't bother to ask for details, he didn't seem to be interested. His head of house was more on concerned on whether one of his students would die or not.

It was already dark when Draco arrived at the hospital wing, he quickly approached the bed where he knew Syrine was placed on. He couldn't believe what he saw when he was finally in front of the bed.

"Hey." Syrine greeted, she was already sitting on the bed. The raven haired Slytherin still looked a bit pale, but she looked better than she did in the morning.

Draco slowly approached his friend, he couldn't believe that she was already conscious after what Madam Pomfrey told them earlier. He was almost sure that he was about to visit a corpse. He stood in front of Syrine as he looked down on her.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Syrine asked, her voice a bit hoarse.

Draco couldn't help himself, even though his arms were shaking, he wrapped them around Syrine's body and then started to sob.

"Merlin, I thought I was gonna lose you." Draco whispered as he continued to cry.

Syrine smiled, although it was rare for her to be affectionate towards other people, she hugged him back. "Stop crying, Drake. I'm here. Don't worry."

"You, you don't understand." Draco continued. "I almost lost everything last night, I can't bear if I lost you too."

Syrine sighed, she let go of Draco and signalled him to sit beside her on the bed. "I heard about Lucius."

Draco didn't answer, he was using his sleeve to remove any evidence that he was crying.

"How is Cissa?" Syrine asked.

"I don't know. I was so worried about you that I didn't even write to mother yet." Draco answered.

"Father is dead." Syrine whispered.

"It's o –"

"It's fine. It's not like we were close." Syrine quickly added. Draco looked at Syrine, he wasn't even surprised that Rodolphus Lestrange's death didn't affect her. "The population of wizarding Britain can rest a bit better tonight knowing that there's one less monster in the world."

Draco sighed, "Is my father a monster then?"

Syrine shook her head, "Lucius is..." she paused.

"You don't need to make me feel better, Sy." Draco said softly, "You're the one who's sick, and I'm embarrassed enough that you're the one trying to make me feel better."

Syrine smiled, "I'm not sick, Drake. Just a bit tired. Madam Pomfrey said that I have to spend the night just so she could be sure that I'm alright."

"Maybe I could stay here, and –"

"Absolutely not, Mr. Malfoy." Madam Pomfrey said suddenly.

Draco immediately stood up and turned towards the elderly mediwitch, he didn't even hear her coming.

"Ms. Lestrange needs as much sleep as she can get tonight. Besides, you're not sick, Visiting hours ended half an hour ago." Madam Pomfrey said.

"But Madam P –" Draco tried to reason out.

"No buts Mr. Malfoy, I know you're worried about your friend. But she's in good hands, I'll be sure to check on her regularly." The mediwitch assured him.

"It's okay Drake, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be able to leave the hospital wing by then." Syrine said.

Draco looked reluctant, but he just nodded at her. He knew that arguing with the mediwitch would be futile.

As Madam Pomfrey and Syrine watched Draco leave, "I think he's smitten with you, Ms. Lestrange."

Syrine chuckled, "Not really. He's just hopeless without me."

The mediwitch smiled at her and signalled her to go lie down again, "Get some sleep, Ms. Lestrange. It's been a long day."

Syrine did as she was told, and had her eyes closed in a few more moments. She was feeling so tired.

 ***HP***

Syrine woke up in the middle of the night as she felt a dip in her mattress; it was as if someone had sat on the bed. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that Hermione was looking straight at her.

"Sorry for waking you up." Hermione said softly, she couldn't speak too loud since Madam Pomfrey might see her.

Hermione just woke up a few minutes before she approached Syrine's sleeping form. She was sleeping a few beds away, trying to regain the energy she lost after Madam Pomfrey finished patching up Syrine's magical core.

"What are you doing here, Hermione?" Syrine asked, she didn't bother calling her names anymore.

Hermione just smiled, "How are you feeling?"

Syrine groaned, "A bit better, I suppose. Better than being dead."

The 'twins' stared at each other for a while. Nobody spoke until Syrine decided to sit up to get a drink of water.

"You did almost die a few hours ago." Hermione said in a hush.

"I know. I was unconscious but I could still hear everything. It's weird isn't it?" Syrine observed.

"What happened to you, could it be connected to the fact that Rodolphus Lestrange died last night?" asked Hermione.

Syrine shrugged, "I honestly don't know. Maybe, maybe not."

Hermione lied down on Syrine's bed and sighed, "Syrine?"

The Slytherin looked at the curly haired Gryffindor and raised one of her brows, "Mmm?"

"If you heard everything that happened a while ago, you know why you're alive right now, don't you?" Hermione asked, her tone a bit hopeful.

Syrine took another sip from her glass and finally sat on the bed again. "I don't think we should be having this conversation Hermione. We're living in dangerous times."

Silence. It was almost deafening.

"I saw everything." Hermione whispered, she didn't want to recall what happened in the dream that she had, but she thought that it was the perfect time to tell Syrine about what she saw.

"Saw what?" Syrine asked, she almost sounded nervous.

"I saw them take you away."

Syrine was stunned.

"I won't say anything about what I saw anymore, I just wanted to say that –" Hermione paused. "I'm sorry. If it wasn't for me –"

Syrine placed her palm on Hermione's mouth to stop her from saying anything more.

"You did nothing wrong." Syrine whispered. Her eyes were now wet with unshed tears.

Hermione's tears started to fall as she looked at how sad Syrine's expression was. They both knew what the truth was, but still, that almost didn't change anything.

"Never forget, Hermione. I am still a Lestrange no matter what." The Slytherin said, her voice almost shaking.

Hermione nodded, she lowered Syrine's hand from her mouth before she spoke again, "For now. Sooner or later, I'll make sure to undo what they did to you."

Syrine smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. It almost looked like a smile of a person who was saying goodbye. "Everything will be better if you just forget about me."

The Slytherin placed a kiss on Hermione's forehead, before she stood up to leave.

"Where are you going? It's the middle of the night!" Hermione said heatedly.

Syrine smirked, it was almost her usual expression whenever they met each other in the halls, "My bed has gotten dirty. I don't want to sleep on it anymore."

Hermione sighed, she looked at her sister intently and finally gave up. "I know. The next time we see each other, it would be as if none of this ever happened."

Syrine nodded, she started walking away when Hermione suddenly pulled her back down on the bed.

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Syrine cursed.

There was a determined look on Hermione's face, "Before we go back to our lives out there. Please just give me tonight."

"What do you want with me?" Syrine asked, looking confused.

Hermione started tearing up again, "I just want to sleep on the same bed with my sister again."

For a moment, Syrine looked scared, she wasn't prepared for what was happening.

Hermione took advantage of Syrine's silence and made herself comfortable on her sister's hospital bed. She put herself under the covers and waited for Syrine to lie on bed properly.

"What are you waiting for?" Hermione asked, she almost looked excited.

Syrine sighed, she finally gave up and lied down beside Hermione.

Hermione smiled as she watched her sister's body relax, "Good night, Iris."

Syrine decided not to answer; she just turned towards Hermione and wrapped her in her arms. The two fell asleep soon after that.

In the morning, Hermione wasn't even surprised to wake up alone. She slowly rose from the bed to fix herself before she left the hospital wing. She was surprised to see that Madam Pomfrey was there, watching her.

"She left a few hours ago." The mediwitch said.

Hermione just nodded, "Thank you for everything, Madam Pomfrey."

The Gryffindor stood up and started to fix herself up.

"I may not completely understand what's going on, Ms. Granger. But your secret is safe with me." Madam Pomfrey said with an understanding smile on her face.

Hermione smiled at the mediwitch, "Thank you Madam Pomfrey."

 **A/N: I knew I had to wait before I posted another update, but can you blame me? Writing this made me feel so sad. Please tell me what you think!**


	30. Chapter 29: Mysteries

**A/N: Was supposed to upload this with another chapter, but things got so busy that I wasn't able to finish the next one yet. This chapter is not my best but this chapter is an essential part of the story's transition.**

As Hermione stepped off the Hogwarts express, she officially began the break before they turned 6th year, she stared at her parents first. Richard and Granger were both waiting for her at the platform with warm expressions on their face, it was clear that they were ecstatic that Hermione was finally home.

Hermione did not approach them at one, she was still deciding on whether it would be wise to finally tell her parents about her discovery. In her heart, Hermione knew that her parents had the right to know that her twin was alive, but she had to think about what would happen to Syrine of her parents were to act rashly. Would Syrine get hurt again by Bellatrix Lestrange? Would she even go back if their parents were to find out? Hermione had a feeling that things would get more complicated if she didn't time things right. She was also considering the fact that Voldemort was back. Thinking about all the factors involved in making a decision were starting to give Hermione a headache.

After stalling for too long, Hermione finally approached her parents and gave them each a hug.

"I've missed you." Hermione said affectionately as she gazed up at her parents.

"We've missed you more." Richard said as he nuzzled the nest that was their daughter's hair. Hermione giggled at the affectionate gesture.

"Let's go the car, Mione. We cooked your favourite snacks at home." Jean said with a smile.

Hermione was about to nod when she saw a familiar blonde Slytherin exiting the Hogwarts Express. She quickly turned around and waited if Syrine was with him. She waited, but when a few more minutes passed that Syrine did not appear, she finally gave up. It looked as if her twin intentionally didn't want to be seen.

"Were you looking for someone, dear?" Jean asked, looking curious.

Hermione paused for a moment before finally answering, "I thought I saw one of my friends."

"Oh." Richard said, "That's a shame. I would have loved to meet another one of your friends."

Hermione smiled, "Maybe next time." She hoped.

#HP#

As per tradition, Ron, Harry and Hermione met up in Diagon Alley in order for them to buy all their school supplies together. The three just finished buying their books for the succeeding year when they saw Draco Malfoy together with his mother.

"I can't believe the Malfoys still have the guts to show their faces in public after Lucius got outed as a Death Eather." Ron muttered as he continued to watch the Malfoys.

Hermione frowned, "Maybe it's because they're not Death Eaters themselves, Ron."

Ron rolled his eyes, "One look at Malfoy's pointy face tells me that he's a Death Eater in the making."

Hermione groaned, "Harry, tell Ron that he's being unreasonable."

Harry looked at Hermione and then back at the Malfoys who were now walking towards the entrance to suspicious part of Diagon Alley. "Let's follow them."

Hermione looked scandalized as Ron grinned at her; Harry started to follow the Malfoys. Ron quickly followed him while Hermione hesitated for a bit before she finally gave in.

The golden trio made sure to follow the Malfoys discreetly, they didn't want to be caught spying on the pair of blonde purebloods. The three of them hid behind one of the corners near the entrance to Knockturn Alley as they watched Draco and his mother carefully checking if anyone was following them. Once Narcissa Malfoy was sure that they weren't being followed, they finally entered the dark alley.

"See, what else would they be doing here?" Ron muttered.

"This doesn't prove anything, Ron. Malfoy is just our age, why on earth would a dark wizard like Voldemort use a teenage boy for his cause?" Hermione answered heatedly.

As the two kept on arguing, Harry decided to take out his invisibility cloak.

"Let's go." Harry said.

Hermione sighed as she joined her two friends under the cloak, what they were doing felt so wrong.

They continued to silently follow the Malfoys, they stopped a few feet away from a shop were the Malfoys were standing in front of. The shop looked like a typical shop found in Knocturn Alley, a shop were a typical dark wizard would do their shopping.

The Malfoys looked as if they were waiting for someone else before they finally entered. It didn't take long before another person arrived, the golden trio were unsure as to who the new person was because they were hiding under a hood.

Draco's face brightened a bit when the other person arrived.

"Where have you been?" Draco asked.

The unknown person finally removed their hood. Hermione felt uneasy when she saw that Syrine was the person hiding under the hood.

"Mother wanted me to arrange a few things." Syrine replied, she didn't look happy.

Draco frowned at her answer, "I understand."

Syrine looked at the Malfoy Matriarch, "Hello Aunt Cissa."

Narcissa Malfoy smiled fondly at Syrine, but she still looked quite tired. "Let's finish what we came here for, Sy. We need to get back to the manor soon."

Syrine nodded and walked towards the door of the shop, "Let's go then."

In a few more moments, the Malfoys together with Syrine entered the suspicious looking shop. Harry looked at Hermione as if he was studying her reaction.

"Let's go see what those three are doing in there." Ron suggested.

Harry nodded, Hermione had no choice but to follow them. They approached one of the dirty windows belonging to the shop. The three of them had a hard time peeking inside because of the thickness of the dust that accumulated on the glass.

It took a while before they saw any form of movement inside. They weren't sure what the three purebloods were doing inside, all they could see was that they were gathered around an old looking wooden cabinet together with the shop keeper.

Hermione sighed, "Ah, yes. Looks like secret Death Eater chores to me."

Ron groaned, "I honestly expected something else. The Malfoys have weird taste for furniture."

Harry remained quiet as they continued to observe the interaction happening inside the shop.

"Let's go, Harry. It's almost time for us to meet up with mum." Ron said.

Harry finally sighed, "Okay. But this still looks suspicious."

Ron chuckled, "Now we know where the Malfoys do their shopping. No wonder Draco looks so suspicious all the time."

This made Harry laugh, Hermione remained quiet as they quietly made their way out of Knockturn Alley. Something bothered her; it was what Syrine said that made Hermione felt uneasy.

"Something wrong, Mione?" Ron asked.

Hermione smiled, "It's nothing, Ron."

They were already near the designated meeting places with the other Weasley's when Ron suddenly recalled something.

"Hey, Harry." Said Ron.

"Mmm?"

"Lestrange said something back there. Do you remember what it was?" Ron asked.

Harry looked at him for a moment before he looked at Hermione, "Not really."

"Well, she said that her mother wanted her to arrange a few things." Ron recalled, looking serious.

Harry and Hermione remained quiet.

"She's in contact with Death Eaters." Ron whispered, looking a bit afraid.

"Stop saying stupid things, Ronald!" Hermione shouted, she genuinely looked angry.

"Why are you so mad, Mione?" Ron asked, looking quite surprised.

Hermione was about to answer when Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's all calm down. I don't think it's best to argue here."

Hermione slumped her shoulders. "I'm sorry for shouting, Ron."

Ron shrugged, "Sure."

A few more moments passed by before Mrs. Weasley finally arrived together with Ginny.

"Finished buying what you need, children?" Molly asked.

The three incoming 6th years nodded, the Weasley Matriarch smiled affectionately at her charges.

"Can we go home now? I'm hungry." Ron said as he clutched his stomach.

 **A/N: I wish I could make money just by writing. But alas, I am no JK Rowling.**


	31. Chapter 30: Marks

There was this nagging feeling that constantly made Hermione feel uneasy. It started when the golden trio saw Syrine with Draco in Knockturn Alley and lasted until Hermione's 6th year officially started. It wasn't helping that Malfoy was acting completely out of character when they saw him board the train at the start of the term.

Draco Malfoy was completely ignoring the golden trio, even the usual jabs pertaining to Ron's poverty have completely stopped. The lack of verbal sparring between Malfoy and the golden trio wasn't something to celebrate, the Gryffindors knew that the sudden absence of childish insults meant that they were about to enter more serious times. No one was sure if it was war, but it was obviously not going to be a happy time.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were the only ones left in the common room during their first night back to school, homework wasn't on the agenda yet since everyone was still settling in. The fire was making the room comfortably warm and Hermione was lying on her favourite couch reading a book. Ron and Harry were playing wizard's chess.

It took a few minutes before the two boys finally stopped.

"Hey, Mione." Ron called.

Hermione looked up from her book and looked at her two friends, "What is it, Ron?"

"Harry is insisting that Malfoy was initiated as a Deatheater during the summer." Ron muttered. Harry looked miffed; it looked as if he didn't want Hermione to know that he was still suspecting the blonde Slytherin.

"We had this conversation before, Harry." Hermione said in a tired tone, "I don't think Voldemort is stupid enough to use teenage boys as his soldiers."

Ron shrugged, "Well, you know, 'start them young' as they always say."

Hermione sighed, "I mean, what would Malfoy do? Insult us to death?"

Harry looked at her grimly, "I don't really care if you believe me or not, Mione. But I will keep an eye on him, even if you think I'm overacting."

"I personally think that Lestrange is more likely to be a junior death eater than Malfoy is." Ron butted in as he instructed one of his knights to move across the chess board.

Hermione quickly turned her head towards Ron, "And why is that, Ron?". She had an angry look on her face.

Ron wasn't looking at Hermione as he shrugged, "Think about it, that girl is as heartless as Bellatrix. Malfoy is like a pigmy puff compared to her."

Hermione suddenly sat up from her chair in outrage, she quickly snapped her book closed at glared at Ron. "You don't have the right to accuse her like that, Ron.", she said coldly.

Harry was looking quite nervous now, he knew how sensitive Hermione got when it came to matters concerning Syrine.

Ron yawned, he still wasn't aware that Hermione was already angry with him, "For all we know, she could've been torturing muggles this summer. You know, a Lestrange family reunion, yeah?"

In a rare burst of anger, Hermione angrily threw her book at Ron's head. She quickly got up, her face red and stood in front of Ron.

"You know nothing, Ron Weasley." Hermione told Ron coldly, "Syrine is not a deatheater, she is not one now, nor will she ever be." She then stomped angrily away.

Ron was still looking surprised that Hermione threw a book at his head, he looked confused and turned towards Harry, "What the bloody hell did I do wrong?!"

Harry sighed, "Maybe next time, you'll learn to keep your suspicions to yourself when Hermione is there."

Ron looked thoughtful for a second, "Yeah, I should."

*HP*

Hermione spent most of her nights sleeping poorly, she just kept tossing and turning in bed since Ron had voiced out his suspicions. She knew in her heart that Ron was wrong, but she couldn't keep the image of Syrine as a death eater out of her head.

She spent hours in the library looking for old news articles of death eater activity during Voldemort's first rise in power. She found out about the Dark Mark which was tattooed on the forearm of past death eaters, she realized that it was Voldemort's way of 'marking' his subordinates.

After finding out that particular knowledge, she didn't want to admit it, but she began observing Syrine and Draco more closely than before, it wasn't because she wanted to prove Harry wrong or right, she just wanted proof that her sister couldn't have joined the ranks of Voldemort's followers.

A few weeks in to term, the 6th year Slytherins and Gryffindors had a joint Potions class under Professor Slughorn. Professor Snape was finally given the Defense position for the current term. All the students were busy preparing their brews as the room slowly started to fill with smoke and different smells. It didn't take a long time for the potions classroom to get uncomfortably hot, majority of the students took off their robes to lessen their body heat.

Among the Slytherins, only Draco and Syrine were the only ones left wearing their robes, this had already caught Harry and Ron's attention. Both boys were looking at the two Slytherins a little too closely. Hermione was also nervously waiting for them to disrobe.

Draco Malfoy was now sweating profusely; it took a few more moments before he finally gave up and removed his robes, he also rolled his sleeves to expose his forearms. It was clean. There wasn't a Dark Mark in sight.

At that, Harry and Ron looked a little bit disappointed that their suspicions were incorrect, they regretfully returned to brewing. Hermione was still looking, Syrine still hadn't disrobed. It already looked as if Syrine was having a hard time with the heat, but she continued to brew despite looking quite uncomfortable.

"Why aren't you removing your robes?" Pansy asked Syrine as she added some of her ingredients to her cauldron.

"What's it to you?" Syrine replied coldly.

"You're already sweating so much, aren't you the least bit bothered?" Pansy said seriously.

Syrine sighed and finally took off her robes, but she didn't roll up her sleeves.

"Some of your potion is going to ruin your cuff if you don't toll up your sleeves." Pansy told Syrine.

Syrine looked a bit pissed, "It's not your uniform, I don't see why you should care."

Pansy smiled, "A little birdie told me that you got a new tattoo, I just wanted to check if it was true."

Syrine glared at Pansy, "You shouldn't listen to what little birdies tell you, Pansy. You don't want to get into trouble."

At that moment, Professor Slughorn decided to stroll by and check the potions of the Slytherins. He walked passed each one, muttering a few helpful comments until he reached Syrine and Pansy's work area.

"You're going to ruin your uniform if you don't roll up your sleeves, Ms. Lestrange." Professor Slughorn told Syrine, he actually looked quite good-natured about it.

Syrine smiled at the professor, "I got a bad case of rash sir. I'm quite embarrassed about it so I'm going to hide it until I get it treated by Madam Pomfrey."

The professor looked concerned, "I'm sorry to hear that, you should go to the hospital wing after my class. You must be feeling quite uncomfortable."

"Thank you sir, I will." Syrine replied.

Hermione watched the entire scene as she continued to work on her potion, she didn't want to think too much about it, but she was worried about the 'rash' that Syrine was hiding.

*HP*

That night, Hermione decided to borrow the marauder's map again to see where Syrine was. She saw her at the Astronomy tower, and she was alone. It was already after curfew so Hermione borrowed Harry's invisibility cloak again.

It took a while before Hermione reached the Astronomy tower, but before she could reach the topmost step, Syrine was already waiting for her there.

"I knew you'd be visiting me up here." Syrined said, she was leaning on one of the walls while holding something in her hand.

"You're smoking." Hermione said, pointing to the lit cigarette in Syrine's hands.

Syrine chuckled, "Why yes, I think that was quite obvious."

Hermione frowned, "That's bad for you. Mum and Dad wouldn't like that."

Syrine frowned, "Your mum and dad won't like it, mine wouldn't mind since my mother likes to torture muggles for a living while my father is dead."

"We already talked about this, Syrine." Hermione said looking a bit pissed.

"I remember, but it seems as if you still don't understand what situation we are all in. So I suggest you stop pestering me about my bad habits and tell me why you're here." Syrine said coldly, she then took another puff from her cigar.

Hermione took a deep breath before she spoke again, "I need to see."

"See what?"

"Your 'rash'" Hermione whispered.

Syrine sighed, "So that's why you've been snooping around lately. I was having a hard time telling Draco that he was just being paranoid."

"I just want to know that I'm correct."

"Correct? What exactly are you hoping for?"

"That you do actually have a rash, and that I'm just over thinking." Hermione replied with a sad expression on her face.

Syrine had a blank look on her face as she decided to throw away her cigarette, she didn't bother to say anything more as she rolled up her left sleeve. As more skin came into view, Hermione could clearly see the beginning of the Dark Mark.

They just stared at each other for a while before anyone decided to speak.

"How could you?" Hermione whispered, she didn't know if she was angry or sad.

Syrine shrugged, "Mother dear was excited to offer me up to the Dark Lord after dear old dad fell at the ministry."

"You should have said n-"

Syrine laughed, "No? What could I have said? 'Oh, sorry Mr. Dark Lord, I refuse to join your band of merry men.' I don't have a death wish, Granger."

"Why aren't you doing something to hide it? Someone might see."

"The Dark Lord has this annoying habit of making his marks useless against any glamour charms. He wants his followers to be unable to hide what they are."

"Who else knows?" Hermione asked.

"It's not any of your business, swot. The less you know the better." Syrine replied coolly.

Hermione's shoulders drooped, "I heard he tortures his own followers."

Syrine's face was grim, "This conversation is over, pet."

Hermione nodded, "I'll see what I can do anything to help you with covering it up."

Syrine chuckled, "It's best that you don't"

"Try and stop me then." Hermione said cockily.

*HP*

It was in a few days when Syrine received a mysterious package containing a few pieces of muggle concealer. She laughed as she saw its contents, and then put it in her satchel.

 **A/N: I'm sorry for updating so late. But no worries, I will finish this story. Slow and steady, but we will surely reach the end. Happy Holidays everyone!**


	32. Chapter 31: The Fallout

As the months passed by during the golden trio's 6th year, it became more and more obvious that Harry was involved in a huge secret which seemed to involve Voldemort. He had frequent meetings with Dumbledore and he wasn't quite open to sharing all the information that he learned with his two best friends. There were sometimes bits and pieces that he decided to tell Ron and Hermione, but it wasn't enough to give them enough information.

Along with the secrecy, Harry also became alarmingly obsessed with monitoring Malfoy's movements lately. Despite knowing that Draco hadn't taken the mark yet, he was behaving quite suspiciously as of late. Despite the natural paleness of his skin, he was even paler now. He often had deep bags under his eyes and he was withdrawn from the rest of his Slytherin friends. Only Syrine was the person he seemed to tolerate.

What worried Hermione was the fact that it had been months since she was able to have any type of interaction with her 'twin'. Their last talk happened at the Astronomy tower when Hermione found out that her sister was now officially a Death Eater. After that, Syrine refused to take notice of her. She acted as if Hermione didn't exist at all.

To most of the residents of Hogwarts, it almost seemed as if it was a typical school term, but for all those who were closely involved with the return of Voldemort, everyday life almost seemed suffocating due to the feeling of dread which accompanied the passing of days.

Harry and Hermione were walking to the Gryffindor tower side by side. He was carefully watching the Marauder's map and was quite silent as he kept on looking at the tiny dots walking on the map.

"Harry, what on earth are you looking for?" Hermione asked, sounding annoyed. Being ignored didn't sit quite well with her.

"It's noth- " Harry started, his expression suddenly looked quite excited. "You can go ahead, Mione. I have to go and check on something."

Harry didn't wait for Hermione to talk, he quickly left towards the opposite direction. Hermione just stood there for a while, contemplating on what she should do. Something didn't feel right with her, she had this feeling that she should follow Harry in case he gets himself into trouble.

It took a few more minutes of debating with herself before she finally decided to look for Harry, wherever he was.

*HP*

Hermione searched in a lot of places, and there was not a single sign that Harry had been there. She was starting to get quite worried. She was almost on the brink of giving up when she passed by Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, she was quite surprised when a frantic looking Harry bumped into her.

Harry looked quite pale and he was sweating profusely, he had a manic expression in his eyes.

"Harry, what happened to you?!" Hermione asked worriedly. Something wasn't right.

"Mione...I did something bad. Malfoy..." Harry stuttered. He looked close to tears and looked towards the entrance of the bathroom.

Hermione left Harry and entered the bathroom as fast as she could. Once there, what she saw horrified her. Draco Malfoy was now lying in a pool of his own blood, there were slashes across his chest and he was struggling to keep breathing. It almost looked as if he was nearing shock.

Although panic stricken, Hermione quickly approached Draco and tried a few healing spells that she knew. She had casted a few spells when Harry returned.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted, "Call Madam Pomfrey! Malfoy needs help!"

Harry, who was still looking lost, nodded and quickly sprinted towards the exit. It was at that time that Syrine arrived together with Professor Snape.

There were no words spoken as Syrine laid her eyes on Malfoy's bloody chest. Her face went pale and she quickly ran towards Draco. She shoved Hermione away and tried to keep Malfoy hang onyo his consciousness. Professor Snape, who looked quite angry, also rushed to Malfoy and instantly casted a spell unknown to Hermione. The cuts on Malfoy's chest slowly closed up but he was still deadly pale due to the amount of blood that he lost.

Professor Snape stood up, "Ms. Lestrange, we have to take Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing."

Syrine was still looking quite pale, "Yes sir. I'll go with you."

The professor cast a levitation charm on Malfoy's limp body and slowly guided it behind him as he proceeded to the hospital wing. He didn't even look at Harry or Hermione.

Syrine stood up, she stared at the blood that was still on the floor, and then to Hermione who was already standing as well.

"Did you do this to Draco?" Syrine asked coldly.

A shiver ran through Hermione's spine as she heard her sister speak.

Hermione was about to answer when Harry suddenly spoke up, "It was me," he paused. "But I didn't mean to do it, I swear!"

Syrine closed her eyes and gripped her wand tightly, "I swear Potter, if Draco doesn't come back from this, I swear that the Dark Lord will just have to settle with me killing you."

Syrine didn't say anything anymore, she left the bathroom quickly.

Harry and Hermione stared at each other worriedly. "Harry, are you okay?", Hermione asked softly.

Harry nodded, "I didn't mean to."

Hermione slowly approached Harry and gently enveloped him in her arms, "I know, Harry."

A heavy weight lodged itself into Hermione's chest. She recalled all the blood on the floor and how cold Syrine's eyes were. It almost felt like she lost her sister all over again.

*HP*

It took a week before Malfoy was finally able to leave the hospital wing. Although the majority of the population of Hogwarts were curious to know what sent the famous blonde Slytherin to the hospital wing, nobody else was aware of what really happened.

Harry felt a bit relieved when Draco finally returned to class. The blonde boy kept the incident quiet, although it made Harry feel a bit relieved, it didn't ease any of the guilt that he was feeling.

Syrine also became a bit more protective of Malfoy ever since he got discharged. Despite already being close before, Syrine became more aggressive when it came to fulfilling Malfoy's needs. It seemed as if Syrine was making sure that nothing bad ever happens to her best friend again.

Despite the risk, Harry knew that it was best if he manned up and apologized to Malfoy for almost killing him. Although he did know that it was more likely that Malfoy would hex him in retaliation for what he did, he still wanted to do it.

So Harry waited, and waited, until he got a chance to speak to Malfoy. It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to talk to the blonde Slytherin alone, the Gryffindor considered himself lucky enough that he was only with Syrine.

Syrine's eyes quickly turned into slits as she saw Harry Potter but she didn't say anything. She kept quiet and waited for him to say what he wanted.

"What are you doing here, Potter? Came to finish the job?" Draco asked coldly. Harry flinched.

"Look Malfoy," Harry started, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you."

Malfoy chuckled darkly, "Oh, did you just want to permanently maim me then?"

Harry sighed, "No. I didn't think that spell would do that to you."

Draco didn't reply, he just stared at the Gryffindor coldly. "Let's go, Sy."

Without a word, the two Slytherins passed by Harry as if he was just another obstacle in their way.

It took a few seconds before Harry felt something wrong, his neck felt a bit uncomfortable. He glided his palm across his neck and felt something wet. He looked at his hand and saw that it had his blood on it. There was a shallow cut at the tops of his neck, if it was a bit deeper, it would have cut through his jugular vein.

Harry applied pressure on his neck as he decided to go to Madam Pomfrey to get it fixed. He was quite sure that the cut on his neck was not from Malfoy. It was a warning from Syrine. With that, he finally figured out that it was Syrine that he had to put a close eye on.

 **A/N: I'm not particularly fond of this chapter. I may have to tweak it a bit more when I finish the whole story. But still, please share with me your thoughts!**

 **To ponystories, glad you're still on board! To all, have a Merry Christmas!**


	33. Chapter 32: The Omen

**A/N: I just reread the last chapter I wrote and I just want to say that after I finish Ying and Yang, I will publish edited versions in which I am more comfortable with, So, the hols are over and we are back to the usual routine. I have a bit more of time to write now since I quit my job last December, that will probably last until I start at my new job in a few months.**

The fireplace cast an eerie glow upon the Gryffindor common room as Hermione continued to wait for Harry on her favourite couch. She was waiting for Harry, who was still missing from the Gryffindor boys dormitory since curfew begun. Ron wanted to wait with her, but Hermione thought it was best for her to wait alone.

It was a quarter past 10 when Harry finally entered the tower, he wasn't aware that Hermione was sitting there waiting for him. Hermione noticed that he had the invisibility cloak and Marauder's map with him. Still not aware of his best friend's presence, Harry began trudging up the stairs until Hermione called out to him.

There was a look of surprise on Harry's face as his eyes fell on Hermione, "Mione, what are you doing here?"

Hermione sighed, "Waiting for you. Ron and I were worried."

Harry just nodded, "Well, I'm here now. You can go to sleep." Harry then took another few steps towards the boy's dorms.

"Wait, Harry." Hermione said as she stood up from her seat, "We need to talk."

Harry looked at Hermione and sighed, he already looked so exhausted that Hermione was about to change her mind. "Talk about what, Mione?"

Hermione approached the bottom of the stairs to the boy's dorm, "Are you still spying on, Malfoy? After all that's happened?"

Harry then looked irritated, "No, I'm not spying on him anymore."

"Then what are you doing with your cloak and map? You couldn't possibly be with the headmaster all this time." Hermione argued.

Harry looked at her as if he was thinking quite deeply before he spoke again, "I was spying on Lestrange."

Silence.

"Come again?" Hermione whispered.

"I'm spying on Lestrange." Harry repeated.

For a few moments, Hermione was unable to find the words to say.

"Is that a problem with you, Mione?" Harry asked, "I seem to recall that you have a soft spot for her."

Hermione looked up at Harry, there was a confused look expression on her face. "But why?"

Harry sighed; he descended the stairs and slowly dragged Hermione back to the couch.

"I didn't want to think that she was a death eater at first, I still remember the basilisk incident in 2nd year." Harry explained.

"Then why?"

"She's a death eater."

At Harry's reply, Hermione's temper began to rise.

"You don't have any proof!" Hermione said coldly.

Harry sighed again, "Come now, Mione. It's funny I didn't think that it was her at first, but as I recall all the years I've known her, she's ruthless isn't she?"

"That doesn't prove she's what you say she is." Hermione argued.

"Sometimes muggle concealers aren't that great at concealing things, Hermione." Harry said, his voice devoid of any emotion. "I wondered where she got them?"

Silence again.

"What I want to know is why she has them? Didn't think she was friendly with the muggleborns in Hogwarts." Harry asked.

The two best friends stared at each other for a long while.

"I'm not stupid, Mione. I'm not great at studying but I'm no fool. When where you going to tell me that Syrine's a death eater?" Harry asked, he almost sounded mad. Almost.

"I-I," Hermione stuttered.

"Well, it looks like you weren't actually planning on telling me." Harry concluded, he made a move to get up when Hermione grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Syrine is my sister!" Hermione finally confessed.

*HP*

Harry stared at Hermione as they were having breakfast in the Great Hall the morning after Hermione finally confessed her real relationship with Syrine Lestrange. He played the conversation they had in his head over and over again, he couldn't believe it at first but as Hermione got deeper into the story, Harry had no other choice but to believe his best friend.

Hermione also confessed that her sister was a marked Death Eater, but she pleaded to Harry that she hadn't done anything wrong. Yet. Harry was still worried, he felt as if he was trapped in a complicated plot like the ones in muggle television shows.

The two of them agreed that whatever information Hermione shared that night was to be kept from Ron. Although feeling hesitant, Harry agreed on the condition that Hermione would make sure that Syrine would not jeopardize the lives of the students and faculty of Hogwarts.

Half an hour before breakfast finally ended, Syrine entered the Great Hall. Harry kept an eye on her as she sat beside Malfoy. The raven haired Slytherin was looking worse for wear.

"Must be the late nights she's been spending in the room of requirement." Harry muttered.

Hermione glared at him, "Not now, Harry." Harry just shrugged.

Hermione discreetly observed her 'twin' over at the Slytherin table. She noticed that Syrine had noticeable dark circles under her eyes; she was also looking quite pale and sickly. After a few moments, Syrine met her gaze and the sisters stared at each other for a while. Hermione was about to smile at her, when her twin glared at her and then suddenly left their table without eating a single thing.

Harry saw short interaction between the 'twins', "Well, I can see that you're quite friendly with each other."

Hermione groaned, "Shut up, Harry."

*HP*

Knowing that Syrine's been disappearing at the room of requirement at the 7th floor corridor, Hermione decided to wait at one of the dark alcoves leading up the corridor where the room was at. It was already past curfew, but as she looked at the Marauder's map, she was sure that Syrine was still inside the room of requirement.

It was already midnight when Syrine's dot finally showed up on the Marauder's map, just outside the door to the room of requirement. At that point, Hermione just waited some more since she was hiding in an area where Syrine would definitely pass to get back to the dungeons.

Hermione kept waiting under the protection of the invisibility cloak. Syrine finally walked by, looking more exhausted than she did in the morning during breakfast. Hermione's chest tightened as she wondered on what would stress her sister out like this.

"Syrine." Hermione called softly.

Syrine suddenly straightened her posture and was on alert, her wand was in her hand at once and before Hermione could remove her cloak, her sister had already cast a stunner. It was a good thing that Hermione was able to dodge.

"It's just me!" Hermione exclaimed as she pulled the cloak off of her.

Syrine still pointed her wand at Hermione, "I know."

"Just relax, will you?" Hermione said, she wasn't nervous that a wand was pointed at her.

"What do you want, Granger?" Syrine asked, finally putting down her wand. She glanced at each side of the corridor looking for any more people.

"Filch is at the dungeons. Nobody else is here."

Syrine looked coldly at her, "I'm tired, Granger. Tell me why you're here."

Hermione took a deep breath before she finally spoke, "Harry knows you're marked."

At this, Syrine's expression turned angry. "You told him?!"

Hermione shook her head, "He saw. He's been spying on you for a while now."

Syrine still looked pissed, "So, I bet that Dumbledore knows."

"He hasn't told anybody."

"He's a lot more stupid that I thought he was then."

Hermione sighed, "He told me that he's not going to tell anyone as long as I assure him that you're not up to anything that would hurt anybody in Hogwarts."

At Hermione's reply, Syrine laughed. It almost sounded as if she was mocking Hermione. "Well then, you should tell him to tell the Headmaster now, shouldn't you?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, suddenly feeling afraid.

Syrine's expression became grave, "Dark times are coming, Granger. If you're smart you should tell Dumbledore before people get hurt."

Hermione shook her head, "Stop joking around, Iris!"

Syrine turned her back on Hermione and started to leave, Goodbye, Granger. I hope you finally use that big brain of yours and warn other people of the big bad death eater that's in Hogwarts."

Hermione didn't bother to go after Syrine. She didn't think it would be of any use.


	34. Chapter 33: Farewell

**A/N: So, my laptop is damaged so I can't use word. Now, I have to use my mobile phone as a way to write future updates. I'm not quite familiar how to use spacing here, but I will try my best to use the same format I used in my laptop.**

Two weeks. Two weeks since Syrine told Hermione that it would be best if she told Harry and Dumbledore that her twin was a death eater, it was also two weeks since Hermione started to wage an internal war with herself on whether or not she would follow her sister's advise.

The curly haired Gryffindor knew that something bad was about to happen, she didn't think that Syrine would warn her like that for no reason at all. Within the two weeks she took to make up her mind, there were also significant changes that she observed from both Harry and Syrine's behavior. Harry almost spent every night with Professor Dumbledore, she still didn't have any idea on what the two were up to but she felt as if something significant was about to happen. On the other hand, Syrine was looking paler each day that passed, that coincided with the fact that Syrine's dot on the Marauder's map would only appear at dawn. It seemed as if the Slytherin was now spending her nights in the Room of Requirement. Hermione was almost scared to find out what her sister was actually doing inside.

It was the last day of the school week and Hermione, along with Ron and Harry were having dinner in the Great Hall. Hermione noticed that Harry wasn't eating a lot, he was just playing with the food on his plate.

"If you're not going to eat that Harry, I'll eat it for you." Ron said as he eyed Harry's steak which was still left untouched.

Harry shrugged and gave his plate to Ron.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking worried.

Harry nodded, "Professor Dumbledore and I are going somewhere tonight. I'll tell you everything once I come back."

Ron stopped chewing for a minute, "It's safe right? Where you're going?"

Harry shrugged, "I hope so. I don't think the professor will take me anywhere dangerous."

Hermione frowned, she highly doubted that.

"Stay safe, okay? Ron and I will wait for you until you come back." Hermione said as she touched the back of Harry's hand.

Harry smiled at the gesture, "Thanks Mione. I will."

If Hermione was honest with herself, she was feeling quite uneasy at that moment. It was almost like the calm before the storm. She just hoped it was just the result of being too paranoid. She looked at the Slytherin table and noticed that both Syrine and Draco were missing from their house table. That only added to her paranoia.

After dinner, Harry went straight to Professor Dumbledore's office while the rest of the students went back to their respective dorms. Ron and Hermione spent a few hours in the common room playing exploding snap just to kill time. Despite it being after curfew, Harry was still not back.

"I'll just change into my pajamas, Ron. I'll be right back." Hermione said as she stood up from the couch in the common room.

Ron nodded, "I'll go and brush my teeth then. See you in a while." Ron said, also standing up.

Ron and Hermione went to their respective dorms to do their separate businesses. As Hermione entered the 6th year girl's dorm and approached her bed, she saw that there was an owl waiting for her. It was perched on the window beside her bed.

"How long has this owl been here?" Hermione asked Lavender, who was sitting on her vanity brushing her hair.

"A couple of hours maybe?" Lavender replied, as she continued to brush her hair.

Hermione observed the hour for a while. The owl was almost completely black, except for a few gray feathers scattered across its plumage. It was almost scary.

Hermione finally approached the owl and took the letter that was attached to it. The owl quickly flew away once the letter was taken away. Hermione quickly opened the letter.

 _Stay in your dorms tonight._

Hermione knew that handwriting even if the sender didn't sign their name. It was a clear warning from Syrine. Hermione pocketed the note and ran back to the common room. Ron was aleady back and was browsing through a magazine.

Upon seeing the expression on hermione's face, Ron became much more alert.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"We have to go to Professor McGonagall, Ron. Something bad is about to happen." Hermione said with dread.

"What's going to happen, Mione? You're scaring me." said Ron, but he was already ready to leave the tower.

"I don't know, Ron. But trust me, okay? Keep your wand out when we're outside." Hermione iinstructed. Ron just nodded.

The two Gryffindor's exited the tower and slowly made their way towards Professor McGonagall's private quarters. They were almost half way towards their destination when they heard an eerie cackle coming from one of the corridors ahead of them.

"Ron, hide." Hermione warned. She quickly cast a quick charm so that they could blend with their surroundings while they hid in one of the alcoves,

Seconds felt like hours as Ron and Hermione waited for whoever it was that was clearly not supposed to be there. They then heard several footsteps belonging to more people. Hermione estimated that there were about 5 or 6 people who were roaming around Hogwarts.

"This is kind of boring isn't it?" A male voice said, it sounded gruff. "No students to bite. Everyone's in their rooms."

Someone sighed, "Terrorizing students isn't our mission, Greyback." Another male voice said, "The Dark Lord wants Hogwarts students to be unharmed for his future takeover."

"Well, we certainly can't accomplish anything now, can we?" Another man argued, "The old coot is away from the castle."

"If you keep on making noise, Uncle Rabastan. We're going to be discovered." A feminine voice said. The hair on Hermione's neck stood up as she recognized that voice. It was her sister's.

"Who's going to catch us, dear niece? Filch? Is he going to tell Mrs. Norris to bite my toe or something?" The male voice said again.

Somebody shushed the group. It was Bellatrix who spoke, Hermione knew that voice from when she dreamt of the time when iris was taken from their ruined manor. "Syrine told me that Dumbledore will be back soon, listen to her. My daughter is never wrong."

"Thank you, mother." Syrine replied calmly.

The conversation stopped entirely, their footsteps were also moving away. Hermione and Ron waited for a few more moments before they decided to continue their path towards Professor McGonagall's office.

Hermione and Ron did not speak to each other as they ran towards their head's quarters. They knew what they heard, what they needed was to inform the teachers. They both knew the two of them were no match for the group of death eaters currently in the castle.

Rin pounded on theur head's door the second they arrived. Professor McGonagall opened it at once.

"Mr. Weasley! Why in Merlin's name are you here at this hour?!" The professor exclaimed, looking alarmed.

"Death eaters-" Ron started as he continued to pant, "-in the castle!"

"What? Speak clearly Mr. Weasley!"

"There are death eaters in the castle, Professor!" Hermione explained.

Professor McGonagall's face turned pale, "How? Are you sure?"

"We'll explain later professor, but we have to alert everyone!" Hermione pleaded.

The professor responded with a grim nod, she quickly took out her wand and cast a patronus to inform the other staff that Hogwarts has been breached. She also cast a few more spells, it all seemed new to Hermione's eyes.

"Let us all congregate at the Great Hall." The professor instructed.

Hermione and Ron told their head about what they heard on their way to her as the three of them swiftly went to the Great Hall. Upon arriving, most of the professor's were already there. Surprisingly enough, Professor Snape was not among them.

More minutes passed and more people entered the Great Hall. Memberes of the order also started to arrive.

"Hermione, where's Harry?!" Sirius asked the instant he arrived.

"He's with Professor Dumbledore, Sirius." Hermione replied. She was getting more anxious by the second, nobody was explaining to them what the plan to handle the situation was.

Professor Sprout then spoke, "I've locked all the entrances to the dorm houses, Minerva. Nobody is going to be able to enter or leave their common rooms."

Professor McGonagall nodded, "Than you, Pomona. I've asked the portraits to report to me where our unwelcomed guests are. They were last seen at the corridor heading up to the Astronomy tower.

At that moment, Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost came floating in as fast as he could. "Dumbledore and Mr. Potter are back, they're currently engaged in a duel with the intruders in the Astronomy Tower."

Nobody spoke, it was almost as if everyone had the same thing in their minds after the ghost spoke. All of those assembled in the Great Hall, all quickly proceeded to the tower.

Hermione could no longer clearly recall what happened on their way to the tower, the adrenaline filling her body up made her feel as if she was just a passenger inside her body. Everything else felt automatic,

Upon arrival, the group of professor and backup fighters saw plenty of spells ricocheting everywhere. Those in front of the group quickly cast a protego that covered the entire group. In what seemed like an awe inspiring moment, they saw Harry and Dumbledore with their backs against each other, while they were covered a thick layer of a shield charm, They were surrounded by 7 people. Hermione already knew that both Bellatrix and Rabastan Lestrange were among the intruders. There was also a heavily built man who looXked quite rough around the edges, there was also another man who Hermione recognized as Antonin Dolohov from the wanted posters

Hermione felt her world fall apart when she saw Syrine among the ones attacking her best friend and the headmaster. She was quickly throwing spells one after the other. She was standing in between Malfoy who looked pale with fear and Snape, who had a very determined look on his face.

Hermione did not know who cast the first spell from their group was, but as the initial stunner hit Rabastan Lestrange in the chest, A small scale war took place.

The intruders, after casting their own shield charms and casting counter curses in between, knew that they were outnumbered. Rabastan was already being hoisted up by the rough looking death eater.

Hermione noticed that Syrine cast a summoning charms, 5 brooms rushed out from somewhere in the tower and landed at the front of the death eaters.

"Leave now, miother! Take our brothers with you!" Syrine yelled.

There were no arguments between them. Bellatrix, Dolohov, and the unknown man carrying a still unconcious Rabastan Lestrange took their own brooms and quickly used the shield charm that Snape cast in order to escape from the tower's large window.

The spells died down since all that were left from the intruders where two 6th year Slytherins and their head of house. There were no longer spells that were cast that were aiming to hurt or kill anyone.

"Draco, you should leave now. Narcissa is waitijng for you at home." Syrine instructed.

"But-" Draco countered.

"Do as she says, Draco." Serverus said, his wand still pointed at the rest of the order and faculty.

Dumbledore had already lowered his wand and removed the shield charm which covered him and Draco. "Put down you wands, Serverus, Ms. Lestrange, Mr. Malfoy."

"Syrine acted as if she hadn't heard anything, "Draco, go."

Draco nodded and picked up his broom. Somebody tried to cast another stunner fromone of the order members present but it was quickly deflected by a well placed shield charm.

It didn't take long for Draco to leave, he was always known for being fast on his broom.

"Uncle Sev. It's your time to go." Syrine calmly instructed.

Serverus just nodded, he picked up his broom. Somebody tried to stop them but just like what happened before, there was a shield charm protecting them.

"I didn't know you were such a martyr, Lestrange." Harry said coldly as he trailed his wand on the remaining Slytherin. He cast a quick glance to Hermione and saw that his best friend looked as if she couldn't believe what was happening in front of her.

"Not really, Potter." Syrine responded, she sounded almost calm. Too calm.

"You no longer have brooms left, Ms. Lestrange. You can't get away now." Somebody said from the order, it was Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Syrine shrugged, "Brooms are overrated anyway. I'd rather just fly away."

Syrine took a few steps back, she was now only a few inches away from the window where all the other death eaters used to leave the tower.

"Stop, Syrine!: Hermione shouted as she pushed herself in front of the group. She tried to get closer to her sister but somebody grabbed her arm.

"It's dangerous, Ms. Granger." Shacklebolt told her.

"But-" hermione argued.

"He is right, Granger. All death eaters are of course dangerous. You should know that by now, pet." Syrine told Granger with a smirk.

"So you'd rather jump off and die rather than surrender yourself then?" Harry asked, as he inched closer to the Slytherin on the ledge.

"Not if I can help it." Syrine responded.

She took s mall curtsy in front of everyone, "I've had a nice time in Hogwarts everyone." She paused as she eyed her sister who remained at the front of the group. "Good bye, Granger. Remember to stay away from danger."

As Syrine moved a bit, somebody cast another stunner but it seemed that the shield charm in place was quite strong. The Slytherin grinned, Hermione's blood ran cold as Syrine cast a spell wordlessly. A jet of green light erupted from the tip of her wand and struck Dumbledore right at the chest. The headmaster crumpled on the floor at once.

Harry shouted as he cast another spell towards Syrine but she diodged it. Distracted by the headmaster's fall, Syrine used it as opportunity to jump off from the tower.

Hermione dislodged herself from Kingsley's grip and ran towards the window. She expected to see her twin's body broken on the grounds below, but to her surprise, she was sitting on a broom right behind Draco. The blonde Slytherin had apparently waited for her.

The two Slytherins hovered above the tower as the twins continued to stare at each other silently. Syrine unwrapped something from her wrist and threw it to Hermione which she caught at once. It was the bracelet that hermione gave to iris when they were children.

"let's go, Draco." Syrine whispered.

The two The two Slytherins quickly gained distance from the tower, and all the while, Hermione followed them with her gaze as they completely disapperead from her sight, shile she still clutched the bracelet that her twin left close to her heart.

 **A/N: Ugh. Don't hate me, lol. Hi pony! And hi to Ms. Riddle! I'm so glad you reviewed. Don't worry, updates will come soon.**


	35. Chapter 34: Promises

**A/N: To Qinlongfei, I am actually quite pleased that someone has taken the time to dissect my story as much as you did because it means that the each word I've written is being noticed, so thank you for that. I also want to thank you for bringing my attention to the said plot hole, as much as I want to make a perfect story that will please everybody, I do not claim (and will never) that I am a professional writer. So, with regards to your review, I will keep it in mind especially when I edit it in the future once I have managed to finish the whole story. (Hopefully I am able to deal with the plot hole and make the story better). I love getting reviews like yours, it makes me feel like I have an editor (or something). I mean, I don't even have a beta. Thanks!**

 **Sorry for the long AN, hi pony! Seeing your name in the reviews always manages to put a smile on my face.**

The aftermath of Headmaster Dumbledore's funeral was not easy. The death of the headmaster caused Harry to fall into a foul mood, he was especially severe to Hermione. Majority of the ones present when Dumbledore was killed where quite curious as to why Hermione bear the brunt of Harry's bad mood, but nobody bothered to ask him why.

Despite Harry's ill treatment oh Hermione after the headmaster's death, Hermione never complained. She understood why Harry was so angry at her. She imagined being in Harry's shoes and she knew that if it were her in Harry's place, she would be just as mad. But what could she do, Syrine was her sister even if the raven haired Slytherin didn't want to acknowledge their relationship.

6th year definitely ended on a bad note. Majority of the populace mourned the loss of the headmaster and when the term finally ended, the students left their solace with a heavy heart, as well as dread. Many of them thought that Dumbledore was their best defense against the threat of Voldemort.

That summer, the golden trio found themselves reunited at the burrow for Bill and Fleur's wedding. The heavy atmosphere remained between Harry and Hermione, and Ron was starting to get sick of it. Harry and Ron were hanging around in their shared room as they talked about quidditch. After the year they just had, they did what they could to try and gain back any bit of normalcy in their lives. Hermione was downstairs with Molly and Ginny, helping out with early wedding preparations. It was also a way for Hermione to avoid Harry for a while, since Harry always managed to snap at her even at the simplest things.

At dinner time, Molly asked Hermione to call the boys down to the kitchen for supper. Hermione's shoulder drooped a bit, she didn't want to but she didn't want to disobey Molly since it was her house after all. Hermione made her way up to the boy's room and knocked.

"Ron, Harry. It's time for supper." Hermione called meekly, it seemed as if her Gryffindor courage disappeared whenever she was in close range with Harry.

"Come in for a bit, Mione." Ron shouted in reply, "I need your help with something."

Hermione sighed, "Maybe after dinner, Ron?"

There was a pause, "Nope. Definitely need your help now."

Hermione rolled her eyes and slowly entered. Harry didn't bother to get up from his bed and ignored her, while Ron was sitting on his mattress holding a small wooden box.

"What is it?" Hermione asked as she approached Ron.

Ron patted the space beside him, urging her to sit down. Hermione did as instructed and looked thoughtfully at Ron.

Ron smiled at her and handed her the box, she took ai at once and tried opening it. It was locked.

"What's inside?" Hermione asked.

Ron stood up, "It's a surprise, I'll get the key at the twin's room."

The ginger haired member of the golden trio quickly got up and left the room, he immediately closed the door behind him. It was quickly warded after a few seconds, Hermione noticed it immediately and panicked.

Hermione stood up and quickly grabbed the door's handle. It wouldn't budge. She quickly took out her wand and was about to unlock it when Harry sat up from his bed.

"Leaving so soon?" Harry asked lazily as he looked at Hermione.

Hermione turned to him and sighed, "Molly will be upset that we're not there for dinner yet."

"Ron will handle it. He seems to think that it was about time the two of us talked." Harry said, his face was void of any emotion. Hermione didn't bother to reply, she sat on Ron's bed again.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"You've been avoiding me ever since you arrived at the Burrow." Harry mused.

Hermione shook her head, "No, I wasn't!" _Lie._ "I was just busy helping Molly with preparing for the wedding."

Harry sighed, "Do I really have to force you to have this conversation with me? I thought between the two of us, you were the reasonable one."

Hermione looked at Harry, she looked afraid and guilty at the same time. "I was avoiding you. You've snapped at me every time I came near you."

"I was angry." Harry said, the coldness in his tone was new to Hermione. She was used to Harry being hot headed, this Harry who was calm and aloof made Hermione feel as if she was in alien territory.

"I know."

"I still am. Every time I look at you, I see the person who killed Professor Dumbledore." Harry said as he looked straight into Hermione's eyes.

At his words, Hermione began to tear up. "What did you expect me to do? Syrine is my sister"

Harry clenched his fists as if he was trying to hold down his anger, "I expected you to honor your promise with me when you told me that despite your 'sister's' predicament, no harm would come to anyone in Hogwarts."

"I didn't know what she was doing, Harry!" Hermione argued. _Lies._

"Bollocks!" Harry exclaimed, "We both knew that she was up to something! She didn't have that disgusting mark on her forearm just for show!"

"It isn't her fault that she's a death eater!" Hermione shouted angrily at Harry. "Maybe she was forced to do what she did! Did you ever think of that?!"

"The headmaster is dead because of your sister!" Harry hollered, he stood up and quickly moved towards Hermione. He grabbed onto her shoulders and squeezed, "Syrine Lestrange murdered Professor Dumbledore in cold blood, and you're here trying convince me that she isn't evil! Are you hearing yourself Hermione?!"

Harry gripped her shoulders harder, Hermione's chest almost felt as if it was going to break from all the emotion she had pent up inside. Guilt. Anger. Despair.

"I-I'm sorry." Hermione sobbed, the dam began to break and she started to cry. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to believe that she was capable of doing what she did."

The expression on Harry's face softened and he loosened his grip, he sighed as he kneeled in front of Hermione's sobbing form. He curled up and placed hi head on Hermione's thighs as she continued to cry.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you." Harry whispered, "I didn't know what to feel."

Hermione wrapped Harry in her arms and continued to listen.

"The headmaster was like the grandfather I never got to have…." Harry confessed.

Hermione her hands around Harry and straightened her back, she placed a hand under her best friend's chin and lifted his face to her. She saw that there was now a deep sadness in Harry's emerald eyes. Her chest clenched as she realized that it was her indecision and conflicting feelings that caused Harry this much pain.

"What can I do to make it better?" Hermione asked, their faces centimeters away from each other.

"Promise me something…" Harry said.

"Anything."

Harry paused before he spoke again, "Forget that you have a sister." Hermione's eyes widened, "Forget who Syrine Lestrange is,"

Hermione felt as if her heart stopped a beat, how could she? Despite everything that Syrine did, she knew that she still loved her sister. Harry's words kept repeating itself inside her head, and she recalled what their headmaster looked like as he laid lifeless on the Astronomy's tower.

Her indecision caused Professor Dumbledore's death, her poor judgement caused Harry great pain and her love for her sister might cause them to lose the war. She knew then and there what she had to do, she finally realized that there was more at stake than having her sister back.

Hermione looked straight into Harry's eyes and nodded, "I will."

Harry nodded at her, he finally stood up and pulled Hermione to stand as well. Without warning, he pulled Hermione into a tight hug and sighed. "I know that what I asked of you isn't easy to do. But, thank you." His arms wrapped tighter around Hermione, it was almost as if he was afraid to let her go.

Hermione hugged her best friend back and placed her head on his chest. She felt better now that she and Harry were finally okay.

It was then that the door to the room suddenly opened, Ron was standing by the doorway with a grin on his face. "Finally!"

Realizing the intimacy of the position that they were in, Harry and Hermione quickly broke apart. The two of them looked shyly at each other and saw that they were both blushing.

Ron cleared his throat, "Can we have dinner now? Seeing that the two of you finally made up, I don't see why we should delay eating supper anymore."

Harry was the first one to move towards Ron, he was still looking a bit awkward.

"Let's go, Mione." Ron said with a smile.

Hermione followed her two best friends as they went down to the kitchen. She stared at Harry's back and blushed as she remembered how tightly he held her upstairs. Despite the number of years they had known each other, it was just then that she realized how much Harry finally grew up.

 **A/N: Please tell me what you think.**


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